(Reuters) -GSK, Sanofi and CSL Ltd have secured $72 million from the U.S. government to ramp up production of bird flu vaccines, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.
The move comes as a multi-state outbreak among livestock and poultry has caused several human infections, raising concerns about further spread.
The companies will use the funds to fill vials and pre-filled syringes with stockpiled vaccine ingredients, aimed at raising the country’s total supply of ready-to-use doses to 10 million within the first quarter of 2025, Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Bloomberg News.
The latest award from the government, which includes $37.9 million for CSL, $23.4 million for Sanofi and $10.5 million for GSK, would more than double the United States’ supply of shots targeting bird flu, the report added.
The Department of Health and Human Services, Sanofi, CSL and GSK did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)
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