Sanofi-Aventis, the French pharmaceuticals group, has pledged to donate 100m doses of its swine flu vaccine to developing countries following the escalation of the virus to a pandemic.
Chris Viehbacher, chief executive, said on Wednesday that he would give away 10 per cent of his company's pandemic flu vaccine output to developing countries from the moment production starts, as well as offer significant discounts on further orders.
His offer follows a pledge last week by GlaxoSmith-Kline, the UK group, to donate 50m doses of its flu pandemic vaccine to the World Health Organisation, after it called for producers to contribute towards a stockpile of vaccines for those on low incomes.