Valneva collaborates for Covid-19 vaccine production

VALNEVA and biotech company IDT Biologika are collaborating to produce Valneva’s inactivated Covid-19 vaccine, VLA2001.

Under the collaboration, IDT Biologika would produce the vaccine drug substance at its facility in Dessau-Rosslau, Germany, in addition to production at Valneva’s manufacturing site in Livingston, Scotland.

The announcement, made on 29 November, follows news of Valneva’s advanced purchase agreement with the European Commission for up to 60m doses of VLA2001, over two years. Delivery is expected to begin in April 2022, subject to approval by the European Medicines Agency. The organisation is expected to start a rolling review of VLA2001, “shortly”.

Valneva reported positive Phase 3 results for VLA2001 in October.

Thomas Lingelbach, Chief Executive Officer of Valneva, said: “This collaboration will help ensure our inactivated vaccine is available for rapid deployment as we continue to believe that our differentiated vaccine candidate can make an important contribution to the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In September, the UK Government terminated a supply agreement with Valneva, alleging that it had breached its obligations. Valneva denied the claim. The agreement would have seen the UK receive 100m Covid-19 vaccine doses from Valneva, with the option for a further 90m between 2023 and 2025.