Glaxo to have swine flu vaccine by September

GlaxoSmithKline is to triple production of its swine flu treatment Relenza and plans to have anti swine flu vaccine in distribution by September, the company revealed as it presented second quarter results on Wednesday.

Although GSK did not expect to start delivery of its vaccine until later this year, it has already received orders for 195m doses and is in discussions with over 50 governments about further orders

On the price of the vaccine, roughly £6 per dose, Mr Witty said the company had tried to strike a fair deal for both governments and shareholders. Although the vaccine is expected to cost just a fraction of £6 to produce, GSK said it had invested over £1.5bn in its development dating back to 1991.