Novartis exports vaccine to US

Novartis’ Liverpool factory has sent its first batch of bird flu vaccine to the US.

The factory in Speke has been working on a vaccine to protect against the deadly strain of H5N1 for the past two years, Liverpool Daily Post Business has reported.

While Novartis also produces pharmaceutical products for human treatment, the vaccine exported to US health officials will be for use against the avian form of the virus as there is not yet a vaccine for the human form.

This is because a vaccine cannot be developed until a human-targeting virus appears, the newspaper explained.

Earlier this week, a report from the United Nations and the World Bank stated the spread of bird flu has been pushed back thanks to international efforts. This year, there have been 36 human cases of the disease, with 28 proving fatal, compared to 387 cases recorded since late 2003.

However, the threat remains concerning, the report said.

People in animal health jobs may be interested in Novartis’ workforce, which includes over 99,000 people in 140 countries.