The North Carolina Seqirus Factory Gets A $156mn Upgrade

Seqirus recently completed a $156 million expansion plan at its Holly Springs, North Carolina, fill-finish production plant, which began in 2018. The expanded facility, along with the recent FDA approval of its new prefilled syringe line, puts Seqirus in a position to help influenza vaccine manufacturing for the forthcoming seasonal flu period and even beyond, the company said. The project was originally estimated to cost $140 million and be completed by 2020, just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The facility, which will produce Flucelvax Quadrivalent, the first and only cell-based influenza vaccine for people between the ages of 6 months and older, will add more than 80 new skilled positions. Fluad Quadrivalent influenza jabs for adults aged 64 and older will also be produced in the facility.

This new line allows them to more efficiently simplify their production, allowing the organisation to meet the needs of the clients and, as a result, better fulfil the needs of public health, said Dave Ross, vice president, Dave Ross of Seqirus’ North American operations. The Holly Springs factory was producing only 3 million doses of cell-based vaccines per year when CSL purchased Novartis’ vaccine group and established Seqirus in 2015. The factory was built as part of a 2006 public-private partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

BARDA hired Seqirus in 2021 to research two influenza A vaccine candidates for a phase I clinical trial as part of its pandemic preparedness efforts. The company claims it can now deliver up to 150 million influenza vaccine doses to assist in an influenza pandemic emergency as well as cover seasonal influenza vaccine production thanks to the increase.