Seqirus Announces Completion of $156 Million Expansion of Vaccine Manufacturing Facility

On June 6, 2022, Seqirus announced that it had completed its $156 million expansion at its manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, N.C. The expansion will support the formulation and fill/finish of its cell-based influenza vaccines in pre-filled syringes.

The new pre-filled syringe line received FDA approval. The line will support influenza vaccine production, particularly for FLUCELVAX Quadrivalent (influenza vaccine), a cell-based vaccine, for the 2022/2023 flu season in the Northern Hemisphere and beyond. The expansion gives the Holly Springs facility two state-of-the-art fill/finish lines, which will enable more efficient production of the vaccine. The expansion also quickens the site’s ability to respond to an influenza pandemic, according to a company press release.

By avoiding egg-adapted changes, cell-based influenza vaccines such as FLUCELVAX Quadrivalent are designed to produce an exact match to World Health Organization (WHO)-selected influenza virus strains. In seasons where egg adaptation occurs, studies have suggested that cell-based vaccines may have the potential to be more effective than traditional, egg-based flu vaccines, according to the press release.

“As demand for differentiated influenza vaccines grows, it is paramount that we expand our manufacturing capacity,” said Dave Ross, vice-president, North America Commercial Operations at Seqirus, in the release. “This new line gives us the ability to more efficiently streamline our production process, allowing us to better meet the needs of our customers and, in turn, better meet the needs of public health.”

Source: Seqirus