Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Wednesday, April 29, 2009 5:46 pm TWN, By Deborah Kuo, CNA

Local pharmaceutical companies prepare to develop swine flu vaccine

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan has been in contact with the United States, seeking samples of the H1N1 swine flu virus strain so that local pharmaceutical companies can start developing a human vaccine against the virus that emerged in Mexico last week, Health Minister Yeh Chin-chuan said Wednesday.

Yeh said at the Legislative Yuan that the Department of Health (DOH) has also instructed the non-profit National Health Research Institute (NHRI) to prepare for developing the vaccine.

He said the NHRI is capable of producing vaccine in emergency situations and that an expanded vaccine plant run by Adimmune Corp., also known as Kuo Kwang Biotechnology, is expected to be inaugurated by June.

The Adimmune vaccine plant, which will be the largest of its kind in Asia with a maximum annual capacity of 30 million doses of vaccine, will allow production of human vaccine against swine flu to be significantly ramped up, Yeh noted.

Noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) is working on a global H1NI vaccine production plan, Yeh said the country will take part in the global action in line with WHO instructions.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

Share

Print

Email


Sponsors
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 70% for hotel in Shanghai and 6000 hotels, in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and all China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.