GlaxoSmithKline has rhas received Orders To Make vaccine against the new H1N1 virus.

H1N1 Vaccine

Britain said in a separate statement that it had signed an agreement with Baxter International and Glaxo to secure supplies of up to 90 million doses. The company said it expects to begin production once it receives the seed virus. The first doses would then be available four to six months later, pending regulatory approval, Glaxo said.

The drugmaker also confirmed that it will continue its development of seasonal vaccine alongside the pandemic vaccine. It said it expects to complete production of the Northern Hemisphere seasonal flu vaccine by the end of July.

“To date, Glaxo has received interest from several governments aiming to stockpile” the new candidate vaccine as a precautionary measure, the company said in a statement.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in Geneva on Friday it was important for pharmaceutical companies to keep making seasonal flu jabs because seasonal flu kills up to 500,000.

The WHO is expected to make a recommendation “soon” about the best balance for vaccine production, Chan said. Flu vaccine makers include GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis and Baxter International.

Glaxo said France also intends to buy 50 million doses, Belgium intends to purchase 12.6 million doses and Finland plans to buy 5.3 million doses.