To be able to support multiple collaborations on vaccines for COVID-19
The announcement follows the completion of the global production overhaul and the decision to invest in increased production capacity
Verona, 28 May 2020 – GSK today confirmed plans to produce 1 billion doses of its adjuvant for a potential pandemic vaccine in 2021, to support the development of more adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
GSK believes its pandemic adjuvant technology could make a significant contribution against COVID-
19. In fact, as demonstrated in the latest influenza pandemic, GSK's Pandemic Adjuvant can reduce the amount of vaccine protein needed per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be produced and helping to protect more people. Additionally, an adjuvant can enhance the immune response and has been shown to create a stronger, longer-lasting immunity against infection.
GSK has prioritized efforts to make its pandemic adjuvant technology available to partners developing promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates suitable for use with an adjuvant. The company has already entered into several collaborations with scientific partners in North America, Europe and China to develop vaccines, and discussions are ongoing with other potential partners about further collaborations.
The confirmation of the increased production capacity follows the completion of a review conducted on the company's global supply network. GSK will manufacture, fill and finish the adjuvant for use in COVID-19 vaccines at manufacturing sites in the UK, US, Canada and Europe.
Roger Connor, President of GSK Global Vaccines, said: “We believe more than one vaccine will be needed to address this global pandemic and we are working with partners around the world to do so. We believe our innovative pandemic adjuvant technology has the potential to help improve the efficacy and scalability of more COVID-19 vaccines. With this significant expansion of our manufacturing capacity, we can help deliver up to 1 billion doses of adjuvanted vaccines by 2021, helping to protect many more people and support the global effort to fight COVID-19.”
Given the unprecedented need to develop COVID-19 vaccines, GSK started manufacturing the adjuvant with its own resources. The company is in discussions with governments and global institutions about the possibility of funding the production and supply of the adjuvant.
GSK is committed to making its adjuvant available through mechanisms that offer equitable access to people around the world. Making the adjuvant available to the world's poorest countries will also be a key part of these efforts, including donations, working with governments and global institutions that prioritize access.
Overall, GSK does not expect to profit from sales originating from its portfolio of COVID-19 vaccine partnerships during this pandemic phase, as the profits generated will be invested in support of coronavirus research and long-term pandemic preparedness, either through GSK's internal investments or with external partners.
GSK press release – 28 May 2020
This press release is a translation of the English original which can be found inmedium area of the gsk.com site, to which reference is made for completeness and further information.
