Agreement to support Covid-19 vaccine manufacture

BIOPHARMACEUTICAL company Takeda and IDT Biologika have announced an agreement to use IDT capacity reserved for Takeda to fill and package Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine.

Janssen, owned by Johnson and Johnson, developed the single-shot vaccine. IDT began producing it in mid-March at its Dessau site in Germany and will continue to do so for a three-month period. IDT is dedicated to contract development and manufacturing viral vaccines, viral vectors, and biologics. The vaccine is being produced for worldwide distribution.

Janssen declined to share details about the capacity expected in the production period but a spokesperson said that to meet its global commitments the company has established a global vaccine network involving multiple manufacturing sites, in preparation for global distribution once authorised for use by health authorities. The IDT site will become part of this global network.

After three months, IDT’s capacity will be used to manufacture Takeda’s dengue vaccine, which the biopharmaceutical company says is crucial for a planned launch, subject to regulatory approval.

Jürgen Betzing, CEO of IDT Biologika, said: “In recent months, it has become clear that the challenges of the pandemic can only be solved through cooperation and commitment.”

“This short-term agreement between three pharmaceutical companies demonstrates the willingness and ability of our industry to bring in creative ideas to solve this crisis.”