Taiwan-based vaccine maker Adimmune Corp yesterday announced it has signed an agreement with the WHO to receive early biological samples of emerging influenza variants.
In a news release, Adimmune said it had signed the pact, known as a Standard Material Transfer Agreement 2 (SMTA2) under the WHO’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework.
The contract would allow Adimmune to receive biological samples of new influenza viruses with pandemic potential from the WHO, thus giving it a head start on developing vaccines or antiviral drugs, the company said.
Photo courtesy of Adimmune Corp
In return, the company has agreed to provide a certain proportion of any vaccines or drugs it develops against the virus to the WHO as a donation or at a discounted price.
In signing the pact, Adimmune became the first Taiwanese pharmaceutical company to enter an influenza-related material transfer agreement with the WHO, and only the 14th worldwide, the company said.
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