GENEVA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis said Friday that it had completed the production of the first batch of A/H1N1 influenza vaccine for clinical trials.

    "Novartis has successfully completed the production of the first batch of influenza A/H1N1 vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations," the Basel-based company said in a statement.

    The company said it had been able to speed up the production process greatly by using a so-called cell-based new manufacturing technology instead of traditional technologies involving growing the virus strain in chicken eggs.

    "This advance has cut weeks off the time required to begin vaccine production," it said.

    The company plans to start clinical trials with that vaccine in July and expects licensure in the autumn of 2009.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday formally declared that the A/H1N1 influenza had developed into a pandemic, the first one since 1968.

    There are now nearly 30,000 confirmed infections worldwide in 74 countries, including 145 deaths.

    Other companies, including Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline and Solvay are also working on A/H1N1 flu vaccines.