On Apr. 17, 2007, Sanofi announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had licensed its H5N1 vaccine, the first avian influenza vaccine for humans in the U.S.

Sanofi pasteur, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, submitted a Biologics License Application to the FDA for this H5N1 vaccine. The licensure servesdas a first key step in achieving the government’s goal of stockpiling vaccine intended to protect those who are at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 influenza virus contained in the vaccine during the early stages of a pandemic.

The vaccine was not to be sold commercially but was being produced by Sanofi for the Strategic National Stockpile of drugs and medical supplies.