Pharmaceutical company to produce Influenza A vaccines for 6 mln people

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- A local pharmaceutical company said Sunday it will
produce enough Influenza A vaccine for about 6 million people this year.
In addition, the country plans to import enough vaccine to inoculate 5 million
people, pushing the total number of South Koreans who can get vaccinated up to 11
million in 2009.
To meet its production goal, Green Cross Co. said it plans to get clearance from
health authorities to manufacture vaccines that use "adjuvant" agents.
Adjuvants are pharmacological or immunological agents that modify the effect of
other agents like drugs and vaccines while having few if any direct effects when
given by themselves.
"If permission is granted by the end of November as we expect, Green Cross will
be able to produce up to 12 million doses of the Influenza A vaccine by the end
of the year," said the company president, Huh Jae-hoe.
Because two doses are need to give complete protection, the amount can inoculate
6 million people.
The announcement comes as the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs
said it will take all possible measures to spur local production and import
vaccines to contain the spread of the new strain of flu that has killed three and
infected over 3,700 people in the country since April.
Most of the vaccines will first be given to medical personnel and quarantine
officials who have to treat sick people. Children, pregnant women and people with
impaired immune systems will also be given priority.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)