Cadila Pharma- Novavax joint venture CPL Biologicals to begin H1N1 swine flu vaccine production in 4 months

CPL Bio uses VLP technology which can produce H1N1 vaccines rapidly

CPL Biologicals Pvt. Ltd., the newly formed joint venture between Cadila Pharmaceuticals in India, expects to start producing H1N1 swin flu vaccine in next four months, Novavax Inc announced in a press release.

The CPL Biologicals facility is expected to be be capable of producing over 60 million doses of flu vaccine annually at full capacity.

CPL Biologicals has already begun construction of a state-of-the-art 25,000 sq. ft manufacturing facility that will be used to produce pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines.

CPL Biologicals will utilize Novavax’s virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine technology to produce commercial-scale quantities of VLP-based influenza vaccines using Novavax’s innovative disposable manufacturing solution.

CPL Biologicals facility will also be used to produce other novel vaccines being developed by CPL Biologicals, based on Novavax’s VLP vaccine technology.

CPL Biologicals facility is being 100% supported financially by Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

“We anticipate creating sufficient capacity for CPL Biologicals to sell influenza vaccines in India and at the same time become a potential supplier to Novavax for sale of vaccines in other markets where Novavax maintains complete commercial rights,” commented John Trizzino, Senior Vice President, International and Government Alliances for Novavax and Interim
Chief Executive Officer of CPL Biologicals.

The Cadila-Novavax joint venture model will show how an efficient and scalable vaccine platform can help address the growing demand for H1N1 swine flu pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines, John Trizzino said.

Novavax VLP-based vaccine candidates are produced more rapidly than egg-based vaccines by using proprietary, portable, recombinant cell-culture technology.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) mimic the external structure of viruses but lack the live genetic material that causes viral replication and infection.  VLPs can be designed quickly to match individual viral strains and be produced efficiently using portable cell-culture technology.

Novavax has formed a joint venture with Cadila Pharmaceuticals is aimed to develop and manufacture vaccines, biological therapeutics and diagnostics in India using technology contributed from Novavax and Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

In addition, CPL Biologicals will establish manufacturing facilities in India and develop, produce and sell products such as seasonal influenza vaccine and potentially other novel vaccines against dengue fever and chikungunya fever based on Novavax’s virus-like-particle (VLP) vaccine technology.

CPL Biologicals also expects to develop the pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine candidate in India that Novavax is developing in the United States.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical companies in India, headquartered at Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals is an integrated healthcare solutions provider with a pharmaceutical product basket in therapeutic areas that include cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, analgesics, haematinics, anti-infectives and antibiotics, respiratory agents,antidiabetics and immunologicals.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals also participates in Public-Private partnerships for developing preventive and curative pharmaceutical and diagnostic products.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals claims to be the first Indian company to get multiple investigational new drug applications (INDs) cleared by USFDA.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities conforming to  international norms at Dholka,Ankleshwar, Kadi and Hirapur in Gujarat; Samba in Jammu and Kashmir and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

Novavax, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, creating novel vaccines to a range of infectious diseases, including H1N1, using advanced proprietary virus-like-particle (VLP) technology.