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Sanofi, Pfizer win meningo contracts
Posted 16 February 2017
Sanofi will supply 180,000 doses of its meningococcal vaccine Menactra to NSW while Pfizer will meet the Western Australian requirement under what is considered a windfall for the vaccine suppliers.
A surge in demand for the meningococcal conjugate vaccine that contains the A,C,W and Y strains has been welcome news for the three Australian providers as States scrambled to secure supplies following an outbreak of the disease in Western Australia last year.
The WA government responded by announcing it would vaccinate 15 to 19 year olds starting in late April with Pfizer securing the contract with its Nimenrix vaccine.
The NSW Government then promised $9 million earlier this month to vaccinate 180,000 year 11 and 12 students - a contract won by Sanofi with its Menactra vaccine, the only manufacturer able to provide the required volume by April to enable Term Two vaccinations.
"Sanofi will be supplying Menactra to the NSW Government as part of their recently announced immunisation program for teenagers," a Sanofi spokesperson said. "We're now working through necessary supply and other arrangements."
Victoria has also announced a $7 million immunisation program for its senior students but it is not known if a vaccine supplier has been selected. Sanofi said it was "not in a position to discuss arrangements with other states at this stage" while GSK advised asking the Victorian Government "about their procurement process and timings".
A spokesperson for Pfizer said yesterday the States' rush on meningococcal vaccines was seen as a quick win for governments but had proven to be a windfall gain for the vaccine suppliers.
"You don't forecast this kind of sales," he said, adding that Pfizer still had stock of Nimenrix should further demand arise.
None of the conjugate vaccines are listed on the National Immunisation Program and were previously supplied only on private script.
The spike in demand is expected to provide a one-off but welcome boost to the finances of the three pharmacos struggling under increased PBS pressure on listed drugs and generic competition. The Pfizer spokesperson said all three providers had worked to meet State needs when "hundreds of thousands" of vaccines were suddenly called for across the country.
"NSW came in quickly and wanted tens of thousands of doses delivered by April," the spokesperson said.
The high demand is likely to have caused Chinese Walls to be erected at GSK, which supplies Nimenrix to Pfizer while producing its own vaccine Menveo.
Megan Brodie
megan.brodie@lushmedia.com.au
Posted 16 February 2017
Sanofi will supply 180,000 doses of its meningococcal vaccine Menactra to NSW while Pfizer will meet the Western Australian requirement under what is considered a windfall for the vaccine suppliers.
A surge in demand for the meningococcal conjugate vaccine that contains the A,C,W and Y strains has been welcome news for the three Australian providers as States scrambled to secure supplies following an outbreak of the disease in Western Australia last year.
The WA government responded by announcing it would vaccinate 15 to 19 year olds starting in late April with Pfizer securing the contract with its Nimenrix vaccine.
The NSW Government then promised $9 million earlier this month to vaccinate 180,000 year 11 and 12 students - a contract won by Sanofi with its Menactra vaccine, the only manufacturer able to provide the required volume by April to enable Term Two vaccinations.
"Sanofi will be supplying Menactra to the NSW Government as part of their recently announced immunisation program for teenagers," a Sanofi spokesperson said. "We're now working through necessary supply and other arrangements."
Victoria has also announced a $7 million immunisation program for its senior students but it is not known if a vaccine supplier has been selected. Sanofi said it was "not in a position to discuss arrangements with other states at this stage" while GSK advised asking the Victorian Government "about their procurement process and timings".
A spokesperson for Pfizer said yesterday the States' rush on meningococcal vaccines was seen as a quick win for governments but had proven to be a windfall gain for the vaccine suppliers.
"You don't forecast this kind of sales," he said, adding that Pfizer still had stock of Nimenrix should further demand arise.
None of the conjugate vaccines are listed on the National Immunisation Program and were previously supplied only on private script.
The spike in demand is expected to provide a one-off but welcome boost to the finances of the three pharmacos struggling under increased PBS pressure on listed drugs and generic competition. The Pfizer spokesperson said all three providers had worked to meet State needs when "hundreds of thousands" of vaccines were suddenly called for across the country.
"NSW came in quickly and wanted tens of thousands of doses delivered by April," the spokesperson said.
The high demand is likely to have caused Chinese Walls to be erected at GSK, which supplies Nimenrix to Pfizer while producing its own vaccine Menveo.
Megan Brodie
megan.brodie@lushmedia.com.au
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