Swine flu: Baxter to make vaccine
for British government
Deerfield-based drugmaker also says 2 patient deaths not related to heparin blood thinner
Baxter International Inc. on Friday reported that it will make a swine flu vaccine for the British government and said the quality of its heparin blood thinner was not involved in two patient deaths in Delaware.
The United Kingdom Department of Health announced deals with Deerfield-based Baxter and British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC to make up to 90 million doses of a vaccine as a precaution against the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.
The government said the contracts “could provide enough vaccine to protect the most vulnerable in our population before a pandemic is likely to arrive, without affecting our supply of seasonal flu vaccine.”
Meanwhile, Baxter said the company is “confident” two deaths and a third patient’s adverse reaction last week at Beebe Medical Center in Lewis, Del., are isolated and unrelated to the “quality of Baxter’s heparin premixed product.”
