Breakthrough in yellow fever vaccine manufacturing

Groundbreaking results from a yellow fever virus yield study that could transform the economics of global vaccine manufacturing were announced recently by Irish biotech company Ovagen.

The comparative study, conducted at the Pirbright Institute in the UK, showed that Ovagen’s germ-free embryonated chicken eggs delivered up to 7,600 doses of yellow fever virus 17D per egg compared to just 422 doses per specified pathogen-free (SPF) egg using current industry standards.

With a current global shortfall of 60 million yellow fever vaccines per year, Ovagen’s technology can help scale up production of yellow fever vaccine production by reducing reliance on key raw material inputs such as SPF eggs, antibiotics and downstream processing resources. More than 140,000 eggs would be required to satisfy the current global shortfall using current industry standards compared with just 7,894 eggs using Ovagen’s technology.

The improved yield also dramatically reduces the volume of antibiotics typically required in conventional egg-based manufacturing, helping to mitigate risks associated with antimicrobial resistance and lowering overall production costs. The technology offers immediate scalability, while reducing waste and environmental impact. For public health systems and vaccine developers alike, it enables faster response times, lower costs and increased resilience in the face of a public health crisis.