Announcement regarding the project of H5N1 influenza vaccines

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) announced in August 2011 that the group company Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine Company, Limited (hereafter, Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine) was selected for the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s cell culture vaccine production facility capacity building grant, which is a part of the Ministry’s second initiative for H5N1 vaccine development and production capacity building. Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine has been preparing to build a system to supply vaccines by the end of March 2014.

After process validation of production at the actual plants, Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine recognized in October 2013 that vaccine yields would decline during the purification process. The company considered countermeasures to improve the situation, but it was deemed impossible to achieve the original goal of creating a scheme by March 31, 2014 to supply vaccines for 40 million people in six months. Today, Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine reported this fact and offered countermeasures to the Health Ministry’s Initiative to Build Development and Production Capacity for H5N1 Influenza Vaccines Assessment Committee.

Daiichi Sankyo and Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine sincerely apologize for being unable to achieve the originally planned scheme in the timeframe allotted.

Daiichi Sankyo and Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine will take the post-evaluation results of the Assessment Committee in earnest and make efforts throughout the company to faithfully carry out the mission.