pharmaceutical · input
Squalene is a natural organic compound (C₃₀H₅₀) used as the oil-phase base of MF59 and AS03 vaccine adjuvants. Squalene is abundant in the liver oil of deep-sea sharks (Centrophorus and Squalus species, caught at 500-1,000m depth). Each deep-sea shark produces roughly 0.5-1 liter of liver oil containing ~40% squalene. For normal seasonal Fluad production, shark-sourced squalene is adequate. In a severe influenza pandemic scenario requiring 1+ billion adjuvanted doses, shark squalene supply would be deeply inadequate — requiring hundreds of millions of sharks and causing ecological collapse of deep-sea shark populations. Alternative squalene sources: amaranth seed oil (~6% squalene), olive oil (~0.5%), and synthetic squalene via fermentation or chemical synthesis. A critical bottleneck in the global pandemic response plan hinges on transitioning from shark to plant/synthetic squalene at manufacturing scale.
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Who makes it
1 company produce squalene — mf59 adjuvant base (shark / plant-derived).
World's largest cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturer; Holly Springs, NC facility produces 150 million flu doses/year and is US government-designated pandemic-ready. Also sole producer of MF59 adjuvant used in pandemic flu and aging-population flu vaccines.
