Dynavax inks flu vaccine deal with Novartis

Dynavax Technologies Corp. and Novartis will work together on a "universal" flu vaccine developed by Dynavax.

Berkeley-based Dynavax (NASDAQ: DVAX) didn't give financial details of the arrangement with Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Inc., which includes business units of the former Chiron Corp. in Emeryville. Novartis AG bought Chiron in 2006.

Novartis will give Dynavax trivalent influenza vaccine to be used as a component of the universal vaccine, in exchange for an exclusive option to negotiate a development and marketing deal with Dynavax.

Content Continues Below

The universal vaccine should give people better protection against different strains of influenza, which mutates rapidly, forcing vaccine makers to guess each year which three strains should be emphasized in popular flu shots. Last winter's guess was poor, and two of the three flu strains used in the vaccine didn't match strains in sick people, thus reducing the effectiveness of the shot.

Influenza -- the name comes from Italian, and dates from times in the past when diseases were thought to be caused by the evil influence of the stars -- is caused by a family of viruses named Orthomyxoviridae. The disease can be quite serious -- a pandemic from 1918 to 1919 killed as many as 50 million people around the world. Regular annual epidemics kill between 250,000 and half a million victims.

Dino Dina is president and CEO of Dynavax. Novartis, led by CEO Daniel Vasella, is based in Basel, Switzerland.