Nexxus Scotland

Intercell Biomedical

Scotland's only manufacturer of vaccines is expanding in Livingston

Intercell Biomedical is an Austrian company and its operation in Livingston, in the East of Scotland, is its only fully-owned manufacturing plant worldwide.

The company's international operation is involved in several fields, including developing  a patented patch delivery system (currently focused on a vaccine to prevent traveller's diarrhoea) and creating vaccines which are intended to be effective against hospital-acquired infections (Currently in phase II/III testing) including Staphyloccocus aureus, Pneumococcus, Group A Streptococcus and Group B Streptococcus.

Intercell's manufacturing operation in Livingston concentrates on producing a vaccine against infection by Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), having received its commercial Manufacturing Licence from the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2008. In addition over the last 18 months there have been several key regulatory approvals resulting in the product being approved in the US (FDA),  Europe (European Commission), Canada (Canadian Health Authority) and Australia (TGA). 

The Scottish operation has full in-house GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) facilities and is also gearing up for future manufacturing of vaccines which are still in the pipeline.

Intercell's Scottish facility currently employs 85 people and is continuing to expand its workforce.

The search for effective vaccines is like the Holy Grail of medicine; supporting as it does the prevention of disease, rather than the cure. Intercell has specialised in the development of "smart vaccines" which include only essential ingredients and which stimulate both important elements of the human immune system - T-cells and B-cells.

Testing periods are long and rigorous but Intercell Biomedical's Scottish operation has passed through all the challenges to produce the only vaccine available worldwide against the hugely debilitating and often fatal disease, Japanese Encephalitis Virus.

The vaccine was launched in early 2009 and represents the parent company's only licensed manufactured product.

Japanese Encephalitis is an infection of the brain and nervous system which causes fever and convulsions and frequently results in permanent brain damage or death, especially in younger victims. The vaccine is in paediatric trials at the moment but is already licensed for adult use.

The disease itself is most prevalent in Asia, all around the Pacific rim and especially around Japan, as the name suggests. Spread by contact with infected mosquitoes, the virus strikes up to 50,000 people per year and causes around 15,000 fatalities and many more permanent brain injuries.

The vaccine now produced by Intercell in Scotland was originally developed for use by military personnel stationed in regions where JEV is prevalent. It now also benefits and protects the large number of social and business travellers who journey to the area and would otherwise be vulnerable to infection.

Murray McKay, Head of Quality Operations at Intercell Biomedical said, "Effective vaccines take a long time to come into mass production. Our JEV product is the only vaccine currently manufactured in Scotland and one of only a handful in Europe. It is also unusual in that it has achieved licences from all the big regulatory authorities worldwide, all at the same time.

"Our vaccine is the only one available in the world against this particularly nasty disease, and it is especially safe as it uses an inert cell line and attenuated (dead) virus as its base."

Intercell's parent company does all its Research and Development work in Austria but chose Scotland as its manufacturing base because of the availability of specialist knowledge. A strong electronics background as well as a thriving life sciences community means that Scotland has a wealth of experience in the "clean room" conditions required for the production of vaccines and other medical products and devices.

Murray stresses that the presence of an active Scottish scientific and medical community also makes the supply chain easier to fulfil than in other countries where the scientific infrastructure is less well developed. The presence of networking and information sharing organisations such as Nexxus in central Scotland mean information on best practice and scientific advancement can be easily shared.

Murray points out that the infrastructure for life sciences in Scotland is particularly relevant for product testing in such a fast-moving  and competitive, global marketplace.  And the advantages work both ways; as a spin-off benefit to the local community, the success of Intercell's Scottish operation means that local employment is planned to reach almost 100 in 2010.

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