AstraZeneca and CSL uphold commitment to manufacture and supply COVID vaccine locally and in the APAC region in 2022

Pharma News: AstraZeneca remains committed to fulfilling its contractual agreements to supply 53.8 million doses of Vaxzevria, with the majority manufactured locally at CSL facilities in Melbourne.

In line with this agreement, the production of the CSL-made vaccines will continue into 2022.

“AstraZeneca remains committed to addressing the current global health emergency posed by COVID-19 by providing broad and equitable access to our vaccine at no profit during the pandemic period. In Australia, we are committed to supporting the Government’s vaccination rollout strategy to protect Australians and our Pacific neighbours from the virus.

“Vaxzevria continues to play a critical role in helping to protect people from severe disease, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 in more than 170 countries, with around 200 million doses being produced each month and more than 1.2 billion doses supplied globally to date. More than 12 million doses have so far been administered in Australia,” said the company in a statement. 

CSL is also committed to the manufacture of approximately 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria. Already over 20 million doses have been produced to protect Australians and those in the Asia Pacific region, and it is expected that the remaining production will be completed early next year.

As CSL Chair Brian McNamee AO said at the Annual General Meeting this week “We are pleased to say that the Australian Government and AstraZeneca trusted us as their partners to help the country respond to the emerging crisis through the most effective solution available: vaccination.

“Notwithstanding the perhaps disproportionate criticism that this vaccine’s reputation has experienced, we couldn’t be prouder that the AstraZeneca vaccine has given protection to many millions of Australians, and even more will be sent to support our neighbours in the region,” he added.

CSL and Seqirus remain proud of the role they have played in providing Australia with onshore vaccine manufacturing capability throughout the pandemic.