According to the Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis AG, it has successfully produced the first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations. The vaccine is normally grown in eggs, but this time was made in cells.

According to the World Health Organization, which delcared the H1N1 virus a pandemic last week, drugmakers will most likely have vaccines approved and ready for sale after September.

The first batch of Novartis' vaccine will be used for pre-clinical evaluation and testing, and is being considered for clinical trials.

The vaccine was made at a Novartis plant in Marburg, Germany, where the company says it could potentially produce millions of doses of vaccine a week. A second plant is being built in Holly Springs, NC.

Novartis said that more than 30 governments have so far requested vaccine supplies. The US alone placed a $289 million order in May.