Japan's JCR Pharma to build new plant to produce COVID-19 vaccine solution

JCR Pharmaceuticals

04/03/2021 08:50

TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - JCR Pharmaceuticals Co  4552.T 
said on Thursday it would build a new plant in Japan to expand
production of ingredients for COVID-19 vaccines over the longer
term.
    JCR Pharma along with Daiichi Sankyo Co  4568.T  and other
Japanese partners are cooperating to produce and distribute the
COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc  AZN.L  and Oxford
University. The Japanese government has arranged to buy 120
million doses of the vaccine, which was submitted to domestic
regulators for approval on Feb. 5.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KB0FD
    JCR Pharma said in a statement that it has been making bulk
substances for the vaccine at an existing plant but will build
another one to comply with government requirements.
    The Japanese drugmaker signed a contract in December to make
substances for the AstraZeneca vaccine. But as a condition for a
government grant to reinforce the country's vaccine production
capability through 2030, it needed to build another facility.
    JCR said it will spend about 11.6 billion yen ($108.28
million) to build the facility in Kobe City, western Japan, with
construction due to start in July and finish by October 2022. 
    The AstraZeneca vaccine is a critical component in Japan's
inoculation plan, as the doses will be made mostly in the
country, and don't need to be stored at the ultra-cold
temperatures required for Pfizer Inc's  PFE.N  COVID-19 vaccine.
   
    Japan kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign in the
middle of February using Pfizer's vaccine, the first to be
approved by Japanese regulators. But the Pfizer doses have been
imported from European factories and are in short supply.
    Local media has reported that Moderna Inc  MRNA.O  will file
for approval of its vaccine as early as Friday via its Japanese
partner Takeda Pharmaceutical Co  4502.T .  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2L02IG
    
($1 = 107.1300 yen)

 (Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Susan Fenton)
 ((rocky.swift@thomsonreuters.com;))