Glaxo has orders for 440M flu vaccine doses

Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. said today that governments around the world have so far ordered 440 million doses of its pandemic swine-flu vaccine Pandemrix, in increase from August, when the company said it had contracts to supply 291 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine.

Twenty-two additional governments have ordered 149 million more doses, the company said today.

The London company, which has large operations in the Philadelphia region, also said it is talking to governments about more orders. First supplies of the GSK vaccine are scheduled to start being shipped this week.    - Miriam Hill