MELBOURNE, Oct 15 AAP - Blood products and vaccines supplier CSL is looking at ways it can help fight the deadly Ebola virus.
CSL says it is in talks with the World Health Organisation about the possibility of purifying antibodies collected from people who have survived the Ebola virus after becoming infected with it.
CSL chairman Professor John Shine told shareholders at its annual general meeting on Wednesday that CSL was not directly involved in developing a vaccine for the Ebola virus, which would take a long time.
"But in the meantime we are in dialogue and discussion and interaction with the World Health Organisation because it has become apparent that those patients who do recover from Ebola have antibodies in their blood against the virus," Professor Shine said.
"So it should be theoretically possible to purify those antibodies and use that as therapy to treat patients that are infected."
Prof Shine said CSL was one of the leading companies around the world with the capability to purify antibodies.
"So we're discussing with the World Health Organisation whether we could in some way help and participate," he said.
He said there were enormous logistical challenges in collecting plasma from people in West Africa who had been infected with the Ebola virus.
Meanwhile, CSL has announced a share buyback of up to $950 million.
Professor Shine said the board was pleased to continue a buyback program that had delivered benefits for shareholders.
"Buybacks remain an effective way to manage our capital that delivers improved investment returns for shareholders," Professor Shine said.
The announced buyback will be CSL's seventh in eight years.
The company has returned approximately 22 per cent of its shares to shareholders since 2005.
Professor Shine said that the previous six buybacks, totalling some $3.3 billion, had helped boost earnings per share by more than 15 per cent.
He said earnings per share growth in the 2014/15 year would again exceed profit growth expectations as shareholders benefit from the ongoing effect of past and current share buybacks.
At Tuesday's closing price of $72.50, a $950 million buyback represents approximately 13.1 million CSL shares or around three per cent of its issued share capital.
At 1410 AEDT on Wednesday, the company's shares were up 49 cents, or 0.68 per cent, at $72.98.
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