Spain's Reig Jofre to manufacture J&J's COVID-19 vaccine in Barcelona
15/12/2020 08:38
BARCELONA, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Spanish pharmaceutical company
Reig Jofre RJFE.MC said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement
with Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N to produce the U.S. company's
experimental COVID-19 vaccine at its plant in Barcelona.
J&J's Janssen subsidiary will transfer the technology
required for large-scale manufacture of the vaccine candidate to
Reig Jofre, allowing production to get underway once the shot
receives regulatory approval, the Spanish company said in a
statement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Reig Jofre said it will be
responsible for the formulation, filling and packaging of the
vaccine, while Janssen will handle distribution.
Shares in the Spanish group surged 17% in early trade to
4.41 euros ($5.35) a share.
Reig Jofre said last month it would able to produce 50
million doses of COVID-19 vaccine a year at its new factory
without cancelling any existing contracts. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2HZ0FP
The company's new plant in Barcelona is under construction
and due to start operating in the first quarter of 2021.
Reig Jofre CEO Ignasi Biosca told Reuters in July the
company should have the capacity to produce between one million
to two million vaccine doses per day next year. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2E8394
Biosca said it could invest an additional 2-3 million euros
to adapt its new plant for the final step in the production
process of putting the COVID-19 vaccine into vials or syringes,
such as guaranteeing the low temperature needed to preserve the
vaccine.
($1 = 0.8238 euros)
(Reporting by Joan Faus and Nathan Allen; Editing by Kirsten
Donovan)
((Nathan.Allen@thomsonreuters.com;))