GlaxoSmithKline announced it expects swine flu vaccines to boost sales figures

Soaring global demand for swine flu vaccinations is expected to give pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline a £1 billion sales boost in the final three months of the year, the company has confirmed.

Glaxo said it had shipped 25 million doses of the vaccine so far and was "in good shape" to meet orders for 440 million worldwide.

The firm added it had already taken further Government orders since it last updated the stock market and has also pledged to donate 50 million doses to the World Health Organisation to help in the fight against the flu pandemic.

Glaxo reported a 3% rise in third-quarter sales on Wednesday to £6.76 billion, but added the results did not include figures for its Pandemrix vaccination for the H1N1 virus.

It confirmed in July the vaccination would cost developed countries around seven euros (£6.34) for each dose, but has declined to reveal production costs amid speculation that a Pandemrix dose costs as little as £1 to make.

Around half a million people will receive its vaccine this week as part of European government vaccination programmes to immunise high-risk groups first.

Fears are growing of a winter surge in the pandemic after the estimated number of new cases of swine flu in the UK almost doubled last week to 53,000, bringing the total number of cases to 435,000.

Deaths of people in the UK suffering from swine flu rose to 128, with 93 deaths in England, 21 in Scotland, eight in Northern Ireland and six in Wales.

Glaxo also produces the Relenza flu treatment and is hoping to produce around 190 million doses by the end of the year.

Demand for the swine flu treatment helped Glaxo return to sales growth for the first time in two years and it said it expected further growth in the fourth quarter thanks to "significant" flu drug sales.