The Center for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has announced a $121.4 million award to CSL Seqirus to sustainably increase the U.S. government’s stockpile of MF59 adjuvant; a seasonal influenza vaccine product. This investment augments BARDA’s existing vendor-managed inventory of CSL Seqirus’ MF59 adjuvant. The adjuvant manufacturing also supports commercial production of CSL Seqirus’ seasonal adjuvanted influenza vaccines, sold on the commercial market. This approach ensures a sustainable, evergreen, supply of the adjuvant so that the ingredient is available immediately for pandemic influenza vaccine production when needed.

The additional adjuvant will become part of BARDA’s U.S. National Pre-Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Stockpile (NPIVS), a component of BARDA’s Medical Countermeasures for Pandemic Influenza and Emerging Diseases Preparedness and Response Program. This program was established in 2005 to manage the inventory of pre-pandemic influenza vaccines and adjuvants, oversee domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, and procure vaccines to mitigate the public health impact of emerging disease threats. 

The award to CSL Seqirus supports the administration’s continued efforts for pandemic preparedness capabilities toward ensuring a highly responsive, flexible, sustainable, scalable, and effective approach to reducing the impact pandemic influenza viruses.