Did any of you catch that recent WSJ report on the negative impact of mass layoffs? OK, I know that M&A layoffs are different, but today brought the sad news that Pfizer/Wyeth will lay off 6,000 employees and close eight of its manufacturing plants in Ireland, Puerto Rico and the U.S.

A few weeks back we posted a list of the companies that were manufacturing H1N1 vaccines, and since that time many of them have been approved, either in the U.S. or abroad. Here's an update:

It's a matter of weeks now until we begin to see: a) to what degree the H1N1 pandemic will again ramp up; b) which manufacturers will have developed vaccines in time to address the need; and c) if those vaccines will work against the dominant strain that develops.

Now that H1N1 hysteria is dying down a bit, I remember why the term "swine flu" is so indelibly etched in my memory.  Way back when I was in Catholic school, we were required to pick a public service volunteer project and carry it out once a week for a year.  I signed up with the Red Cross...and was initially assigned to the "Swine Flu Hotline," to take calls from people who wanted information on where to go to be vaccinated, the risks involved etc.

An excellent article from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) outlines the key hurdles in developing a swine flu vaccine and quotes WHO and CDC authorities as saying that any acceleration of development is unlikely, thanks to myriad hurdles and challenges, particularly the inefficiency of producing seed strain via embryonated chicken eggs.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Novartis Vaccines a contract for up to a half-billion dollars over eight years to support the building and startup of a flu vaccine facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

Like it or not, Hollywood shapes perceptions on key societal issues. Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey, notably, have been vocal in their questioning of vaccine safety, having a huge influence upon their Hollywood brethren and thus the mainstream public. At least one star, Amanda Peet, is fighting that perception and trying to restore some sanity to the vaccine argument.

The news today that DSM Biologics and Crucell N.V. had again scaled up production of the PER.C6 cell line was another sign that biopharma cell culture capacity concerns are (probably) a thing of the past, and that PER.C6 represents a breakthrough. Who better to consult with than Eric Langer of BioPlan Associates, whose annual biopharma capacity and production report is a key industrywide gauge. Langer was gracious enough to respond to our emailed questions:

Fierce Vaccines  just spotlighted an article from this week's Scientific American, on a clinical trial of a vacccine for non Hodgkins lymphoma, which was derived by tobacco plants. Researchers produced tumor-fighting antigen within the plants by first extracting the gene coding for the antigen from white blood cells in patients' tumors, then inserting it into a tobacco mosaic virus in the plant.  As the virus spreads throughout the plant, more of the antigen is generated. 

Harvesting the protein involves grinding up the leaves and separating out the antigen. So far, around 70% of participants showed improvement when injected with antigens targeting their tumors. For more from the source, read on.

Missed Madame Piramal’s presentation, unfortunately, while running back and forth between segments of the building and the show floor. The message behind speakers at the session on Indian Biotech was clear: don’t think “low cost,” think innovation.

BMS alumnus Rashmi Barbhaiya used the Nano, India’s new model car, as a metaphor. He and Ramesh Adige, director of communications at Ranbaxy, offered a glimpse of the Indian biotech landscape. For YouTube-quality video, taken by yours truly:

Rashmi Barbhaiya, CEO, Advinus Therapeutics on Biotech in India

Ramesh Adige, Ranbaxy Labs, on India's Biotech Efforts

AMS