CDMO, CMO, Supplier Roundup in Supporting COVID-19 Projects
The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers in COVID-19 projects featuring AGC Biologics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Univercells.
Biologics Manufacturing
AGC Biologics, Takara Bio Enter Pact for COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
AGC Biologics, a CDMO of biopharmaceuticals, and Takara Bio, a Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan-based company that develops, manufactures, and distributes life-science reagents and gene therapies, have entered into a partnership to collaborate on a prophylaxis DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with AGC Biologics manufacturing the plasmid DNA intermediate for the vaccine.
The vaccine will be developed based on the expertise of Osaka University and AnGes, an Osaka, Japan-based company that develops genetic medicines. Osaka University has expertise in developing plasmid DNA products
Source: AGC Biologics
Univercells, Exyte Enter Pact for Vaccine Mfg Plants During COVID-19
Univercells, a technology company specializing in bioprocessing, and Exyte, a provider of facility design and construction services, have formed a global partnership for optimized construction of modular standardized and flexible GMP manufacturing facilities for vaccines in response to increased global demand for vaccines against COVID-19.
The companies say rapid deployment of prefabricated plants will enable rapid mass production and shortened time-to-market for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the disease that causes COVID-19, and other diseases.
Through this partnership, an integrated plant design combines Exyte’s prefabricated modular construction system, ExyCell, with Univercells’ NevoLine biomanufacturing platform featuring the scale-X fixed-bed bioreactor. The companies say ExyCell can be configured to adapt to any process layout while the NevoLine technology allows for process intensification and chaining for automated production of large quantities of vector-based vaccines and live attenuated vaccines.
Source: Univercells and Exyte
General
Thermo Fisher to Produce COVID-19 Products with US Gov’t Contract
Thermo Fisher Scientific has received a contract from the US government to provide specialized viral transport media (VTM) for COVID-19 sample collection. The VTM is used during collection of patient samples for proper transport to laboratories that can test for the presence of the virus.
Thermo Fisher says to ensure accuracy of COVID-19 test results, VTM must be manufactured and dispensed into tubes in an aseptic environment. Thermo Fisher currently produces VTM at its site in Lenexa, Kansas, which meets this requirement, and the company has ramped up production from 50,000 to more than one million VTM-filled tubes per week.
Thermo Fisher will expand capacity in Lenexa with a $40 million facility for VTM production and quality control. The added capacity will allow the company to scale production to more than eight million VTM-filled tubes per week. The company says it plans to complete the new Lenexa facility in the third quarter and expects that it will create approximately 300 new full-time jobs.
Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific
