British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is looking at the AstraZeneca vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination center in The Hive, home of Barnett FC, north of London on the 25th. London = AFP Yonhap News
A Japanese pharmaceutical company is commissioned to produce a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine from AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company. In the US and Europe, there is a delay in vaccine supply due to a surge in demand, and stable procurement through domestic production is expected.
JCR Pharma, a pharmaceutical company located in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, has signed a business consignment contract with AstraZeneca for the production of the undiluted solution for the COVID-19 vaccine. Although JCR Pharma does not have a record of producing vaccines, it has a technology that cultured adenovirus vectors. The stock solution of AstraZeneca vaccine is extracted by culturing an adenovirus vector. The Nippon Geizai Shimbun reported on the 28th that if the extract of the adenovirus vector provided by AstraZeneca is on the orbit through cultivation and purification, the vaccine can be produced without importing the original solution.
JCR Pharma’s consignment production is 90 million batches (45 million people), which is 75% of the supply by the Japanese government. In December of last year, the Japanese government agreed to supply 120 million doses (for 60 million people) of vaccine with AstraZenekawa, of which 30 million doses (for 15 million people) were decided to be provided by March.
Since vaccine production takes about 3 months, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is preparing for mass production in parallel with the manufacturing/sale approval application process. Vaccines produced in Japan are expected to ship in May. The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for use in the UK and the vaccine was started. In Japan, clinical trials have been underway to confirm safety and efficacy since August last year.
However, AstraZeneca announced that it will supply only about 40% of its promised volume to the European Union by March, leading to a conflict over the supply of vaccines. AstraZeneca announced that it would preferentially supply to the UK, which signed a contract three months earlier than the EU. The EU suspects that it is intentionally slowing the supply and exporting to other regions.
In addition to AstraZeneca, the Japanese government has signed a supply contract with Pfizer, a US pharmaceutical company, for 144,400 batches (72 million people) within the year and 50 million batches (25 million people) with Modena. However, as cases of delayed vaccine supply in the United States and Europe are followed, some observations say that it is impossible to decide whether the supply will be possible in accordance with the plan to start vaccination for medical workers from late February.
As if taking this into account, Vaccination Minister Kono Taro said at an online meeting with the national governor on the previous day, “after April 1, even if it is the earliest,” regarding the timing of vaccination for elderly people 65 years of age or older, originally known as late March. .
Tokyo= Kim Hoe-kyung Correspondent [email protected]
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