Pandemic influenza occurs when there is a global outbreak of a new influenza virus for which people have little or no immunity and there is no vaccine. In the last century, there were three cases of influenza pandemics which resulted in more than 50 million deaths worldwide. Viruses from birds contributed to all of them. The first, which struck in 1918, killed more than 20 million people across the globe and life expectancy was reduced by 13 years. The 1918 pandemic was followed by pandemics in 1957 and 1968 which killed tens of thousands of Americans and millions across the world. A few years ago, the world had a preview of the disruption an influenza pandemic can cause when a previously unknown virus called SARS appeared in rural China. When an infected doctor carried the virus out of China, it spread to Vietnam, Singapore and Canada within a month. Before long, the SARS virus had spread to nearly 30 countries on six continents. It infected more than 8,000 people and killed nearly 800.
The primary challenge of a pandemic is the rapid worldwide spread of the virus. The time between the identification of a pandemic strain and the first wave of the pandemic is only three to four months making the six months required for egg-based vaccine production inadequate. Our Proficia™ technology, however, is rapid, flexible, high yielding and a robust vaccine and antibody production system. A major advantage is that the production of vaccines and antibodies based on transient protein expression in plant leaves can be achieved with speed. Vaccine production can be initiated within three weeks from the identification of the genetic sequence from a pandemic strain.