CSL Seqirus, a Global Leader in Pandemic Preparedness and Outbreak Response, Signs an Agreement with the European Commission to Support Pandemic Preparedness Plans

CSL Seqirus, a Global Leader in Pandemic Preparedness and Outbreak Response, Signs an Agreement with the European Commission to Support Pandemic Preparedness Plans

INTENDED FOR MEDIA AND BUSINESS INVESTORS ONLY

• CSL Seqirus to provide pandemic influenza vaccine to support 17 EU and EEA countries and the EU Commission in the event of a pandemic declaration.
• The decision by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), part of the European Commission (EC), demonstrates their leadership and ongoing commitment to supporting Member States' pandemic preparedness in the face of emerging health threats.
• Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to remind us of the pandemic threat posed by influenza, with infections reported in wild birds, poultry and non-human mammals within Europe.¹

Maidenhead, April 29 2025 -- CSL Seqirus, a business of CSL (ASX: CSL), has been awarded a contract to support the pandemic preparedness plans of 17 EU and EEA member states and the European Commission by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).

Under the terms of the agreement, 27 million doses of pandemic influenza vaccine have been reserved with CSL Seqirus, which can be ordered by the participating countries in the event of an influenza pandemic. The contract requires CSL Seqirus to be prepared to rapidly manufacture and deliver these vaccine doses to help protect Europeans against the influenza strain identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) when an influenza pandemic is declared.

This latest announcement follows a previous pandemic vaccine reservation agreement with CSL Seqirus, initiated in 2019, and a contract awarded in June last year to supply 665,000 doses of pre-pandemic (zoonotic) influenza vaccine for fifteen EU and EEA Member States.

"At CSL Seqirus, we're privileged to partner with more than 30 governments worldwide to help protect populations from emerging pandemic threats," said Ray Longstaff, CSL Seqirus, Director for Pandemic & Outbreak Preparedness and Response. "This award to reserve vaccines for European citizens represents again our shared commitment with the EU Commission to strengthening global health security and demonstrates the importance of partnership in maintaining rapid response capabilities to safeguard public health."

The vaccine doses will be manufactured in CSL Seqirus' manufacturing site in Liverpool in the UK, one of the largest sites in Europe to manufacture seasonal influenza vaccines.

"Our ongoing manufacturing and technological know-how allow us to be pandemic ready and manufacture at scale," said Nige Hilton, CSL Seqirus, VP of Manufacturing and Liverpool Site Head. "Beyond this, our R&D activity also enables us to be pandemic ready, working with influenza strains of pandemic potential, stockpiling of components and raw material, and virus seed libraries."

"In recent years, outbreaks of avian influenza have highlighted the ongoing importance of pandemic preparedness and the need for vigilance against these public health risks," said Lorna Meldrum, CSL Seqirus, VP Commercial Operations, International & Pandemic Response. "With this latest contract, we're proud to continue playing a leading role in pandemic preparedness and delivering innovative pandemic solutions to our partners around the world."

About Pandemic Influenza
Influenza is a contagious airborne respiratory disease.^2,3 The risk of influenza-associated morbidity and mortality is greater with pandemic influenza than with seasonal influenza because there is likely to be little or no pre-existing immunity to the novel virus in the human population.⁴ The timing and severity of pandemic influenza is unpredictable. Four influenza pandemics have occurred since 1918, with the 1918 pandemic being the most severe in recent history, with an estimated mortality of up to 50 million people worldwide.⁵

About Avian Influenza
Avian influenza spreads predominantly among birds.⁶ Avian influenza viruses do not normally infect humans; however, in rare cases humans have been infected with avian influenza viruses.⁷ Illness in humans from avian influenza has varied in levels of severity, from no symptoms or mild illness to severe disease and death.⁷ The spread of avian influenza from one human to another is very rare and typically has only spread to a few people.⁷

For information on the persistent levels of highly pathogenic avian influenza seen in recent years, CSL Seqirus recommends referring to the WHO website, and CDC, ECDC or national guidance for opinion and guidance on risk.^8,9,10,11

About CSL Seqirus
CSL Seqirus is part of CSL (ASX: CSL). As a global leader in the protection of public health and one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, CSL Seqirus is committed to preventing infectious diseases, like influenza and COVID-19, and is a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness. With state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, and leading R&D capabilities, CSL Seqirus offers a broad portfolio of innovative, differentiated vaccines in more than 20 countries around the world. 

For more information about CSL Seqirus, visit CSL.com. 

About CSL
CSL (ASX:CSL) (USOTC:CSLLY) is a global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, vaccines to prevent influenza, and therapies in iron deficiency and nephrology. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL - including our three businesses: CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor - provides products to patients in more than 100 countries and employs 32,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest. For inspiring stories about the promise of biotechnology, visit CSL.com/we-are-csl/vita-original-stories and follow us on x.com/CSL. For more information about CSL, visit www.CSL.com. 

Intended Audience
This press release is issued from CSL Seqirus in Maidenhead, UK and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved CSL Seqirus products may vary from country to country. Please consult your local regulatory authority on the approval status of CSL Seqirus products.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future results, performance or achievements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

MEDIA CONTACT
Em Dekonor
+44 (0)7920500496
Emmanuella.Dekonor@seqirus.com

GL-NOPR-25-0011
Date of preparation: April 2025