Biotech giant CSL in talks with WHO over Ebola treatments

CSL has revealed it is in discussions with the World Health Organisation about Ebola treatment possibilities.

CSL Chairman John Shine says the biotech giant is talking with the WHO about future treatments for Ebola.

CSL has revealed it is in discussions with the World Health Organisation about Ebola treatment possibilities.

Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting in Melbourne this morning, chairman John Shine said the biotech giant was speaking with the WHO about a tentative role in gathering antibodies from Ebola survivors to develop future treatments.

“It has become apparent of course that those patients who do recover from Ebola — and unfortunately it’s only around 40 per cent — those that do recover of course have antibodies in blood against the virus,” Professor Shine said.

“It should be theoretically possible to purify those antibodies and then use that as therapy to treat patients who become infected.

“CSL of course is one of the leading companies around the world that has the capacity to do that sort of antibody purification processing, so we’re discussing with the World Health Organisation at present whether we could in some way help and participate.”

Professor Shine said there would be huge logistical challenges in collecting blood plasma from patients who had survived Ebola in Africa, and CSL was not involved in the efforts to create an Ebola vaccine.

“We are in active dialogue, and we hope we can do something,” he said. “At this stage it’s ‘watch this space.’’’

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CSL today announced a new share buy back of nearly a billion dollars, the eighth buy back program in nine years.

The buyback, worth up to $950m, follows an identical buyback announced last year which is now 95 per cent complete with 13 million shares repurchased for approximately $900m.

“Through these buybacks, all our shareholders benefit from improved investment return rations, including earnings per share and return on equity,” Professor Shine said.

Previous buybacks have totalled $4.2bn and contributed a boost to earnings per share in excess of 19 per cent.

“While the markets in which we operate remain highly competitive, our broad portfolio of products, ongoing product development and geographic reach continue to ensure our business remains well positioned,” Professor Shine said.