ONE of the firms at the forefront of fighting the swine flu pandemic – with strong Cumbrian links - is expected to give an update later today on its anti H1N1 drugs.

GlaxoSmithKline is one of several companies charged with producing a vaccine for H1N1 after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a pandemic last month.

The firm, which also produces flu treatment Relenza, could make around £1.3bn from its vaccine next year.

Glaxo has a number of UK sites, including its global headquarters in Brentford, Middlesex, and manufacturing operations in locations including Ulverston in Cumbria, as well as Kent and Ayrshire.

According to the WHO, more than 700 people are estimated to have died from swine flu worldwide, with 30 deaths in the UK.

Glaxo is tipped to have seen a boost to its sales in the three months to the end of June, helped by the weakness in the pound as the company sells many of its products abroad.

While Glaxo announced in May that it had received advance orders from countries including the UK, the firm's balance sheet is not yet expected to reflect an upturn from swine flu's spread.

Production of an H1N1 vaccine is already under way at the firm's German and Canadian plants, however, and analysts expect the firm will outline the expected benefits of the drug.

The UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimates there were 55,000 new cases of swine flu in England the week before last, including people visiting GPs and those who are looking after themselves at home.

Glaxo said in May that it had agreed to supply nearly 130 million doses of the swine flu vaccine to the UK, France, Belgium and Finland.

It also said it would donate 50 million doses to developing countries.
The vaccine is expected to come before the end of the year.

Yesterday, Glaxo also announced a deal to develop and supply an on-site test, which it said would prevent delays in diagnosis.

Although as swine flu has spread, it is increasingly being diagnosed over the telephone.

The expected boost to sales would come at a welcome time for Glaxo, which was hit by the impact of competition from new generic drugs in the first quarter of the year, when underlying pre-tax profits fell more than 30 per cent.

The group saw profits fall to £1.66bn, once the cost of a major restructuring programme was stripped out, from £1.87bn in the same period the previous year.

It has been predicted the firm will post pre-tax profit of £1.95bn in the three months to the end of June, up from £1.84bn in the same period last year.

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