Area Development
Seqirus, a wholly owned subsidiary of CSL Limited and a global leader in influenza prevention, will invest $140 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

The Holly Springs facility is at the center of a growth plan to meet future demand for Seqirus' cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc). Seqirus, the largest cell-based influenza vaccine producer in the world, developed the first cell-based influenza vaccine in the United States (U.S.) for individuals 4 years and above and an adjuvanted influenza vaccine specifically for those 65 years and above.

The expansion will allow Seqirus to increase capacity for formulation, fill and finish manufacturing of cell-based and adjuvanted influenza vaccines for global markets. The development will create 120 permanent highly skilled jobs, adding to the current workforce at the site of more than 600 employees.

Construction of the new facility is expected to be complete by 2020, supporting increased fill and finish of influenza vaccine doses as well as enabling Seqirus to produce pandemic influenza vaccines more rapidly.

"According to the CDC, the 2017-2018 influenza season in the U.S. was one of the worst in recent years and influenza continues to be a public health threat," said Gordon Naylor, President, Seqirus. "We are deeply committed to developing innovative solutions, including cell-based vaccines, to help reduce deaths and severe illness caused by influenza. In just three years, we have quadrupled our supply of our cell-based influenza vaccine and this major investment will enable us to meet further demand."

The Holly Springs manufacturing facility was purpose-built in partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to combat pandemic influenza threats.1 BARDA is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This public-private partnership is the first in the world to establish cell-based technology as a highly scalable method of production and has the potential to transform the global influenza vaccine market as we know it today.

"Providing safe and effective vaccines to Americans is essential in securing America's defense against serious public health threats. Public-private partnerships like these are a winning formula for spurring innovation and new discoveries, improving our readiness for the threats we face today and in the future," said U.S. Senator Richard Burr.