Seqirus delivered a record 110 million vaccine doses to the Northern Hemisphere over the half as the US,UK and Europe looked to brace against a rise in influenza cases after two years of COVID-related shutdowns.
Mr Perreault said he expected continued strong demand for flu vaccines in the local market and that Australians should continue with basic health measures like staying home when unwell and frequent handwashing as winter approached.
“The one thing that COVID has brought for the influenza business is that there’s been a bit of a reawakening[to] the benefits of vaccines in the reduction of disease and death and hospitalisation,” he said.
“As things start to open up and people start to move around they should be prepared[for flu] as they should be every year.”
The company is investing heavily in the future of its influenza business,including work on a self-amplifying mRNA flu vaccine candidate and the construction of a new cell-based flu vaccine plant in the outer Melbourne suburb of Tullamarine.
Messenger-RNA vaccine development is a key focus of major pharmaceuticals firms like Pfizer and Moderna,but CSL is confining its research to an influenza candidate only at this stage.
Instead,the company is preparing tocomplete its $16.4 billion takeover of Swiss firm Vifor,which focuses on kidney treatment and iron deficiency products.