Catalent Signs Deal With AstraZeneca To Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

(RTTNews) - Catalent Inc. (CTLT) said Monday that it has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.L, AZN) to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Under the deal, Catalent Biologics will provide vial filling and packaging capacity to AstraZeneca at Catalent's 28,000 square-meter manufacturing facility in Anagni, Italy, and prepare for large-scale commercial supply of the University of Oxford's adenovirus vector based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222.

The recombinant adenovirus vaccine technology was created by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, and the vaccine candidate is currently in clinical trials.

The agreement will accelerate the rapid scale-up of capacity over the coming months to support the dedicated production of AZD1222, Catalent noted.

Catalent will prepare the facility so as to enable round-the-clock manufacturing schedules and supply hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidate from August 2020, and potentially through to March 2022 if the product is approved by regulatory agencies.

According to Catalent, it's Anagni facility has a proven track record in technical transfers and successful commercial product launches. The facility offers extensive capabilities in aseptic liquid filling for biologics and sterile products across multiple vial sizes.

The site also provides primary and secondary packaging solutions, including serialization, to support product launches for oral solids, sterile, and biologics products.

In addition to the Anagni facility, Catalent has sterile drug product manufacturing and packaging facilities in Brussels, Belgium and Bloomington, Indiana. The company also has additional facilities in Europe and the U.S. for manufacturing proteins, viral vectors for gene therapies and cell therapies, and biologics analytical services.