The breakthrough $1 billion-plus Novartis cell culture vaccine factory in Holly Springs will be rebranded in October with a new name and logo announced by its new owner, CSL.
CSL, a large Australian pharmaceutical company, has decided to name its vaccine business Seqirus. CSL said the name, pronounced seh-KEER-us, is derived from the term “securing health for all of us.”
[Related coverage: CSL buys Novartis plant in $275 million deal/]
When the name change happens in October 2015, Seqirus will be the second-largest business in the $4 billion-a-year flu vaccine industry, with manufacturing plants in the U.S., the U.K., Germany and Australia, with commerce in about 20 countries.
“We can now accelerate the integration of the two businesses post-closing and deliver on our combined seasonal sales opportunities in major markets,” said Paul Perreault, CEO and managing director of CSL.
Seqirus will be headquartered in Maidenhead, just outside London. It will be headed by Gordon Naylor, CFO of CSL. Naylor will continue serving both roles until a successor is named as CFO of CSL. CSL said the management teams of the CSL biologicals division, bioCSL, and the Novartis flu vaccine business will remain in place until a new executive leadership team is appointed later in 2015.
During the two months before the rebranding occurs, the CSL vaccine operations will continue to be called bioCSL, and the Novartis flu vaccines operations will be called NVS Influenza Vaccines.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center was instrumental in recruiting the cutting-edge cell culture vaccine factory to North Carolina, assisted by economic developers and state and local elected officials and others.
Read more at:
http://www.ncbiotech.org/article/coming-october-novartis-csl-flu-vax-plant-aka-seqirus/118921#sthash.HKyHLuBK.dpuf
Note: Veteran journalist Jim Shamp is director of public relations for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
(C) N.C. Biotechnology Center
