Canada renews flu vaccine deal with GSK -health minister

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has renewed a deal with GSK Plc for an annual supply of at least of 4 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccines, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said on Friday.

The deal also includes an option for the government to procure up to 80 million additional doses of GSK's vaccine should a flu pandemic occur, Duclos said, without providing the financial details of the agreement.

"This contract renews our longstanding relationship with GlaxoSmithKline to ensure that we are prepared to protect everyone in Canada in the case of pandemic influenza," Duclos said.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa)