Corixa, based in Seattle, makes and supplies the British pharmaceutical giant with adjuvants — additives that encourage a better response to vaccines from the body’s immune system. The most important is the MPL adjuvant used in Cervarix, a vaccine for cervical cancer that Glaxo is counting on for future growth.
In tests reported in The Lancet, Cervarix was 100% effective in protecting women against two strains of virus that are held responsible for 70% of all cases of cervical cancer. Steve Plag, the leading pharmaceutical analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, has estimated that Cervarix could have peak sales of $4 billion, which would make it the most successful vaccine ever.
By eliminating supply and royalty payments to Corixa, Glaxo expects to achieve a big