Showing posts with label Production. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 May 2021

16.04.21 Second deal on Sputnik V by S Korea

Second S.Korean deal to produce Russia's Sputnik V
April 16, 20216:10 PM +08Sangmi Cha, REUTERS
3 minute read

South Korea's Huons Global Co Ltd (084110.KQ) will lead a consortium to produce 100 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per month, as Moscow seeks to increase production globally to meet rising demand.
The deal to produce Sputnik V - for export rather than domestic use - is the second in South Korea and comes after biotech firm GL Rapha signed a deal late last year to make more than 150 million doses of the vaccine per year.
Shares in Huons Global jumped 29.8% to their daily limit on Friday, hitting their highest level since September 2018.
Huons said on Friday its consortium will begin producing sample batches in August and would respond flexibly to supply demand from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund.
The consortium includes three other local companies - Prestige BioPharma (950210.KS), Humedix (200670.KQ) and Boran Pharma - which will build a new production facility, Huons said in a statement.

GL Rapha, which became the second foreign producer of the vaccine after Russia announced its efficacy in early November, is waiting for final approval of its product after sending samples to Russia for validation, a GL Rapha official said.

The official said it plans to scale up production to meet the 150 million production target by the end of this year.

India on Monday became the latest country to approve Sputnik V as it grapples with record infections, spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering. read more

India's ambassador to Moscow on Friday said deliveries of Sputnik V to India were expected to begin before the end of April. read more

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is conducting a rolling review of the Russian vaccine as many European countries seek to ramp up inoculation programmes that have been hampered by delivery delays. read more

South Korea has approved three vaccines, from AstraZeneca (AZN.L), Pfizer (PFE.N) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), but has not begun reviewing Sputnik V for approval.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skorean-consortium-produce-100-mln-doses-month-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-2021-04-16/

12.04.21 Sanofi in Singapore to invest €400m in new vaccine production site

French drugmaker Sanofi said on Monday it would invest 400 million euros ($475.40 million) over five years in a new vaccine production site in Singapore.

Matthieu Protard

Reuters

April 12, 2021 15:33 pm +08

PARIS (April 12): French drugmaker Sanofi said on Monday it would invest 400 million euros ($475.40 million) over five years in a new vaccine production site in Singapore.

The new site would provide Sanofi with the ability to produce innovative vaccines on a massive scale for Asia and respond to future pandemic risks, the company said in a statement.

The project is expected to create up to 200 local jobs, it added.

Sanofi said it expected to start the construction of the site in the third quarter of 2021 and be fully operational in the first quarter of 2026.

"The Singapore site will complement Sanofi's existing manufacturing capacities in Europe and North America and will become a regional center of excellence for vaccines production in Asia", the company said. ($1 = 0.8414 euros)

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/sanofi-invest-%E2%82%AC400m-new-vaccine-production-site-singapore

*10.05.21 BioNTech to build in Singapore mRNA vaccine manufacturing site

BioNTech plans to set up a regional centre and a new factory in Singapore for its vaccines ...

Ludwig Burger & Caroline Copley

Reuters

May 10, 2021 19:54 pm +08

BERLIN (May 10): BioNTech plans to set up a regional centre and a new factory in Singapore for its vaccines, it said on Monday, boosting its presence in Asia as a debate over patents rages and pressure grows on drugmakers to raise output of Covid-19 shots.

Governments are looking to build up local vaccine production to secure access to supplies after manufacturing setbacks have slowed the rollout of Covid-19 doses in some countries.

The Singapore facility will "address potential pandemic threats" in southeast Asia and will increase BioNTech's global supply capacity of product candidates — also beyond vaccines — based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, BionTech said.

mRNA vaccines, like BionTech and Pfizer's Covid-19 shot, prompt the human body to make a protein that is part of the virus, triggering an immune response.

The German biotech company said the Singapore factory will have an estimated annual capacity of several hundred million doses of its mRNA vaccines depending on the specific type, once it is operational in 2023.

"Having multiple nodes in our production network is an important strategic step in building out our global footprint and capabilities," said Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech.

He told a press conference that the investment amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars, declining to be more specific.

BioNTech Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Richardson said there were ongoing discussions with countries around the world about more production sites but added the Singapore decision was exceptional.

"We made a unique long-term commitment to Singapore," following more than a year of talks with the country, he added.

China venture

Leading vaccine makers have come under growing pressure to free up their Covid-19 vaccine patents to aid poor countries. BioNTech and other vaccine makers have said they were already transferring vital production knowledge to other parts of the world.

BioNTech and Pfizer are jointly commercializing the vaccine worldwide, excluding China, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which are covered by BioNTech’s collaboration with Fosun Pharma.

BioNTech and Fosun Pharma have done clinical trials in China but Fosun had not started producing the vaccine, which has yet to be granted approval there.

Fosun said on Sunday it would provide a factory with an annual capacity to make up to 1 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine under a joint venture with BioNTech.

This marks a step closer for China to have localized manufacturing capability for the German firm's vaccine. Five domestically-developed Covid-19 vaccines are being used in the country, while no foreign ones have gained regulatory approval.

BioNTech plans to open the Singapore office in 2021 and expects the manufacturing site to be operational by 2023, creating up to 80 jobs in Singapore.

The establishment of a southeast Asia regional hub, which is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, comes after BioNTech, based in Mainz, Germany, set up a US headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2020.

BioNTech has said it and Pfizer would have capacity to produce up to 3 billion doses in 2021. Pfizer said last week the pair was targeting production of 4 billion doses next year, mostly for low- and middle-income countries.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/biontech-build-mrna-manufacturing-site-singapore

11.05.21 290,480 vials of Sinovac vaccine bottled by Pharmaniaga to be used from today, says Health Minister

A total of 290,480 vials of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine bottled by Pharmaniaga Bhd will be used at vaccination centres (PPV) nationwide starting today, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said.

It is the first batch handed over by the company to the Ministry of Health (MoH), he said.

May 11, 2021 17:58 pm +08

BERNAMA

“We are now in the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. As reported, we received 400,000 doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine supply directly from Beijing, China.

“The remaining vials from the first batch will also be used at PPV this month," he told a press conference after the handover ceremony of the Sinovac vaccine in Malaysia undertaken through the "fill and finish" process here.

In February, Pharmaniaga's wholly-owned subsidiary Pharmaniaga LifeScience Sdn Bhd (PLS) received 200 litres or the equivalent of 300,000 doses of the first batch of supply of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in bulk for the batch manufacturing validation process.

It was a historic moment for Malaysia and an equally important one for the company in its efforts to pioneer vaccine production and as the first vaccine factory to undertake the "fill and finish" process in Malaysia.

To ensure sufficient supply of the Covid-19 vaccine, Adham said the government is also constantly in talks with the manufacturers of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and had also targeted to receive 3.97 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine between April and June.

Meanwhile, Pharmaniaga group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said to date, PLS had submitted the first four batches for validation and quality control purposes by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).

“After undergoing several quality control tests according to NPRA regulations, Alhamdulillah, the 'fill and finish' vaccine produced by PLS was approved by the Malaysian Drug Control Authority (DCA) on April 23," he said.

Zulkarnain said "fill and finish" vaccine production is now at its maximum level and PLS is capable of producing two million doses of the vaccine a month.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/290480-vials-sinovac-bottled-pharmaniaga-be-used-today

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

*10.05.21 BioNTech JV to make 1bn doses for Chinese

The Latest: Joint venture aims to make 1bn doses for Chinese

Associated Press

10 May 2021

BEIJING — A Chinese pharmaceutical company and BioNTech SE, the co-developer of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, are setting up a joint venture in China with the capacity to manufacture up to 1 billion doses of the shot to protect against COVID-19.

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co. said in a stock filing on Sunday night that the companies will invest up to $100 million each to set up the venture.

The vaccine has yet to be approved in mainland China, where regulations require an in-country clinical trial. BioNTech’s CEO has said the company expects the shot to be approved in July.

The joint venture aims to supply shots for the Chinese population, but no timing was given on when the shots would be distributed.

China has based its vaccination campaign on domestically produced vaccines with a goal of vaccinating 560 million of the country’s 1.4 billion people by mid-June. Most of its vaccines require two doses, but China hasn’t broken down its vaccination figures by how many have received one or both doses.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/us/the-latest-joint-venture-aims-to-make-1b-doses-for-chinese/ar-BB1gyq7U?ocid=ientp

Friday, 7 May 2021

Novavax to deliver 350 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Covax scheme

PUBLISHED
MAY 6, 2021, 9:53 PM SGT

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine candidate is yet to be authorised in any country.

Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine candidate is yet to be authorised in any country.PHOTO: REUTERS

Novavax Inc said on Thursday (May 6) that it has signed an agreement with the Gavi vaccine alliance to manufacture and distribute 350 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate to countries participating in the Covax facility.

The Covax facility, a global initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for poorer countries, is co-led by Gavi, the World Health Organisation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

The company said India's Serum Institute will manufacture and deliver the balance of the 1.1 billion doses of its vaccine to be delivered to the Covax vaccine scheme, under a separate agreement.

While Novavax's vaccine candidate is yet to be authorised in any country, the company and the Serum Institute plan to start delivery of the doses in the third quarter of 2021.

Novavax said it will get an upfront payment from Gavi later this month and an additional payment following an emergency use listing for its vaccine by the World Health Organisation.

Reuters reported earlier this week the company told the European Union it plans to begin delivering its Covid-19 vaccine candidate to the bloc towards the end of this year.

Healthwise

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