Crucell Awarded an additional
Quinvaxem(TM) Vaccine contract of over $20 Million for 2007
Leiden, The Netherlands, December 8, 2006 - Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) announced today that it has been awarded an additional contract totaling over US$ 20 million for its Quinvaxem(TM) pediatric vaccine. This contract was awarded by a supranational organization for Latin America and covers sales in 2007.
This contract is valid for 2007 and in addition to the contract which has been awarded to Crucell December 1 by supranational organizations totaling over US$ 230 million for both its Quinvaxem(TM) and Hepavax-GeneĀ® pediatric vaccines representing minimum sales to these supranational organizations over the next three years including 2009.
Following the WHO pre-qualification in September 2006, the combination vaccine was made available to supranational purchasing organizations. Supranational organizations are major customers for combination vaccines, which are used in large vaccination programs in developing countries.
Quinvaxem(TM), a fully-liquid pentavalent vaccine for children, was co-developed with Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics and is produced in Crucell's laboratories in South Korea. The vaccine combines antigens for protection against five important childhood diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b, one of the leading causes of bacterial meningitis and pneumonia in children.
Current worldwide demand for the Quinvaxem(TM) vaccine exceeds 50 million doses per year. The total market potential is 150 million doses per year in 3 to 4 years time.