The LONDON press reports that GlaxoSmithKline has received permission to market a human bird flu vaccine. This is significant because it is the first pharmaceutical to receive a license for pre-pandemic use in all 27-member European Union states. Noteworthy to those of us living in the USA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has ordered for 27.5 million doses. Glaxo has spent at least $2 billion developing the vaccine that targets the H5N1 virus. They have already received orders for 8 million doses from Switzerland, enough to cover that country's entire population,in addition to the 27.5 million doses ordered by the U.S., and orders from Finland and other European countries. Glaxo has agreed to donate 50 million doses of the vaccine to the World Health Organization in an attempt to create a pandemic vaccine stockpile for poor countries. Experts believe H5N1, an influenza virus subtype which has killed at least 241 people worldwide, is the most likely candidate to mutate into a pandemic virus,said Emmanuel Hanon, vice president of the Influenza Vaccine Franchise at Glaxo. "This vaccine marks a significant step in the world's ability to cope with an influenza pandemic," said Glaxo Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Garnier. Glaxo has said that its vaccine is effective against these other versions of the virus as well, announcing study results last year showing that that it even reacts against the Indonesian type of H5N1, a genetically different virus. It would not, however be effective against strains such as H5N5 or H5N7 "What we don't know is when the pandemic will come, but we do know that it will come," stated Emmanuel Hanon.

How should a business plan for a disaster such as pandemic flu? An article published in the Washington Post last week pointed out that less than one-third of businesses have any type of plan. Former US Secretary of Health, Tommy Thompson points out why companies can't ignore this vital issue. I'm convinced, but as a small business owner, what resources are available to help start the planning process.? An informal poll: How many business owners out there would say they have a diasater plan ready and accessible?? http://

Anthrax... So you haven't heard about the vaccine for a while; is the threat of bioterrorism still real? VaxGen, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company, announced today it has completed the sale of all assets and rights related to its recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine product candidate and related technology to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. Emergent BioSolutions paid VaxGen $2 million initially and may be obligated to pay up to an additional $8 million in milestone payments. VaxGen is a biopharmaceutical company based in South San Francisco, California. The company owns a state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility with a 1,000-liter bioreactor that can be used to make cell culture or microbial biologic products. For more information, please visit the company's web site at http://www.vaxgen.com/. While the subject of anthrax may not make daily headline anymore,the companies involved in developing the vaccine are forging ahead. For Officials at CDC, Homeland Security, etc the concern of bioterrorism and the threat of these biological weapons have never wavered.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer giant Merck & Company Inc. announces more bad news with the elimination of 1,200 sales jobs in its US salesforce. This news comes after a decision last week from the FDA that issued a non-approvable letter for Cordaptive which was supposed to be Merck's newest cholesterol lowering drug. Also, Merck had been notified that immediate improvements must be made at one of their vaccine maufacturing plants. How much bad news can one company withstand in one month? Amy Rose, a Merck spokeswoman, said the lay-offs represent about 15 percent of Merck's salesforce. The job cuts are part of a global restructuring plan announced in late 2005, meant to generate a up to $5 billion in savings through 2010. Merck's earnings have been hurt by disappointing sales of its Vytorin cholesterol fighter since studies were released showing some diappointing results. So far, the news has had almost no impact on Merck shares