Three U.S. firms to make swine flu vaccine

WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- Enough swine flu vaccine to immunize at least 20 million people in the United States should be ready by late summer, federal health officials said.

The vaccine would be earmarked for people in key positions in healthcare, national security and emergency services, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Friday.

The government has asked Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline to make the vaccine and is negotiating with MedImmune and CSL, an Australian company, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

The order is part of a $1 billion investment in production and testing of vaccine against the new strain of the H1N1 flu virus.

While questions remain about the effectiveness of a swine flu vaccine, Sebelius said the nation "can't wait" for the answers before putting manufacturing machinery in motion.

"This is really to reserve our place in line," Sebelius said of the vaccine order.