Sanofi Pasteur donates vaccine strain used for polio eradication to WHO
20 September 2011 - The World Health Organization and Sanofi Pasteur today celebrated the donation by Sanofi Pasteur to WHO of a vaccine seed-strain used for the production of oral polio vaccine (OPV). The type 3 polio seed-strain is an original viral seed used to produce large quantities of OPV against type 3 poliovirus.
With this donation, WHO now "owns" all three seed-strain viruses (types 1, 2 and 3) needed for the production of polio vaccines. While Sanofi Pasteur had in the past made available its type 3 seed-strain, in collaboration with WHO, to other manufacturers to help secure a global supply of polio vaccines, this generous donation will further simplify this process. It means that production capacity — including in the developing country setting — can be further scaled-up to help meet the needs of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and further strengthen public health systems. WHO, through its prequalification process, will continue to work with countries to ensure good manufacturing practices are adhered to. The strain will be physically held at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) in the United Kingdom.
"Continued vaccine innovation and consistent vaccine supply has been central to the sudden, renewed surge of progress that we've seen towards polio eradication over the last 24 months, bringing us closer than ever to completely wiping this disease from the earth," said Dr Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General for Polio, Emergencies and Country Collaboration at WHO. "On behalf of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, I would like to thank Sanofi Pasteur for its deep and continuing commitment to the global eradication effort as evidenced again by the generous donation of its type 3 polio seed-strain that is used in the production of OPV and is central to ensuring a consistent global supply of this vital tool for the global eradication effort."
With progress towards global polio eradication being seen over the past 12 months, this donation also has important implications for the post-eradication era. Polio vaccines will need to be available, and their supply adequately managed, to assure outbreak response capacity should poliovirus re-emerge after eradication. Management of such vaccine stockpiles will now be significantly simplified as a result of this donation.
This is a further example of strong private sector collaboration within the GPEI, and part of broader ongoing work to ensure more affordable and more widely-distributed vaccines.