WHO: Glaxo donation of 50M swine flu vaccines to poor countries likely shipping thru May

WHO: Glaxo vaccine donation shipping thru May

GENEVA — The World Health Organization says it expects GlaxoSmithKline to complete shipping donations of swine flu vaccine to poor countries by May 2010.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said Tuesday the global body hopes countries will start receiving the first of 50 million doses from Glaxo in late November or early December.

The company first announced the donations in May 2009.

Glaxo spokeswoman Gwenan White in London was unable to immediately confirm a timeline for the delivery of donated vaccines.

WHO says Glaxo, Sanofi-Aventis, MedImmune and CSLhave so far promised to donate a total of 156 million doses of vaccine against the A(H1N1) pandemic strain to poor countries.