SYDNEY, Australia - Pharmaceutical group CSL Ltd. signed a contract with the U.S.-British company DynPort LLC to manufacture a special vaccine for use against biological weapons.

CSL, of Melbourne, will manufacture its Q-Fever vaccine for DynPort, a joint venture between DynPorp Inc. of the U.S. and Porton International, a UK subsidiary of Beaufort-Ipsen, which has won a contract to supply vaccines to the American military.

Tony Cipa, general manager finance for CSL, said DynPort had won a contract to produce 18 vaccines to deal with the threat of biological weapons, and had chosen the Q-Fever vaccine as one of the 18.

CSL has been producing the vaccine for some time to protect humans, mainly slaughterhouse workers, against the cattle disease Q-Fever. The disease is caused by the Coxiella burnetti bacterium and is transmitted by inhaling airborne body fluids from infected animals. The disease is characterized by fevers and chills similar to a bad dose of the flu. It cannot be transmitted between humans and can be cured by antibiotics, although it may kill if complications develop.

Cipa said that the vaccine has been in use in Australia for some time but the contract required its use to comply with FDA regulations, so it had to undergo Phase III clinical trials in the U.S. Those trials are due to start within 12 months and, assuming that the tests go well, will be available in the U.S. by 2003.

The DynPort news was released at the same time as CSL's financials for the half year to December. For that half year, CSL's net profit after tax increased by 14.8 percent over the previous corresponding half year to A$18.6 million (US$12 million). Group sales increased by 10.5 percent to A$209.5 million.

CSL's share price has gained nearly 60 percent in the past 12 months, in part due to the company also announcing that it had gained a contract to manufacture a blood ingredient for inclusion in a new type of bandage to be made by the American Red Cross. The company's share price oscillated last week, however, to finish on Friday at A$22.30.