Brazil and Paraguay have received 6 million doses of the Stamaril yellow fever vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis. About 30,000 people die every year from yellow fever in Africa and South America. Sanofi Pasteur is the only yellow fever vaccine supplier to the UNICEF.

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New Phase III data released by Novartis Pharmaceuticals showed that its under-development vaccine against four types of meningococcal strains produces a better antibody response than a commonly used existing vaccine. New Phase III data for Menveo® (MenACWY-CRM) depicts that the vaccine produced a greater immune response against meningococcal strains A, C, W-135 and Y in adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years, as compared to Sanofi Pasteur’s Menactra®. Infection with any of these four vaccine-preventable serogroups (strains) can lead to bacterial meningitis, an infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord, or sepsis, a serious infection of the blood stream.

The vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, Sanofi Pasteur, has filed the first centralized marketing authorization application with the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for the influenza vaccine delivered by an intradermal (ID) microinjection system. ID delivery is an improvement over intramuscular (IM) injection in terms of enhancing the immune response in the elderly. The vaccine uses BD Soluviaä, which is a microinjection system developed by Becton, Dickinson and Company.