Total awards for DTwP-HepB-Hib vaccine launched in 2006 now exceed $900M.
Crucell landed a $110 million contract with UNICEF to supply Quinvaxem®, its pediatric vaccine, to the developing world. Quinvaxem is a fully liquid pentavalent DTwP-HepB-Hib vaccine that does not contain thiomersal, according to the company. It protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenza type b infection, and hepatitis B. Quinvaxem is reportedly ready for use without further preparation steps by healthcare workers in the field.
This latest award brings the total value of contracts awarded since the launch of Quinvaxem at the end of 2006 to $910 million.
From 2006–2009 as part of the Extended Program for Immunization, over 130 million doses of Quinvaxem have been delivered to more than 50 countries. Crucell has been increasing its production capacity over the last few years in order to meet the growing demand for pediatric vaccines from the developing world.
“We are proud to be able to deliver significant amount of additional vaccine orders at short notice,” said Ronald Brus, Crucell’s CEO. “The capacity and reliability of Crucell’s manufacturing and logistical systems allows us to deliver high-quality and safe vaccines to protect young children from life-threatening diseases in the world’s developing countries.”