Oxford Biomedica Signs Five-Year Collaboration for COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing

Oxford Biomedica has signed a five-year collaboration agreement with the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Center (VMIC) to manufacture viral vector-based vaccines.

The VMIC will provide manufacturing equipment to scale up the manufacturing of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, AZD1222.

Under the agreement, VMIC will provide manufacturing equipment for Oxford Biomedica to equip two suites in its new commercial manufacturing facility in Oxford to manufacture the vaccine to meet UK and European demand.

In addition, Oxford Biomedica will provide training and technical assistance to VMIC staff to boost manufacturing capabilities for viral vector vaccines at a new VMIC facility expected to open in mid-2021.

The agreement may be expanded for Oxford Biomedica to provide manufacturing capacity for other novel viral-vector vaccine candidates.

AstraZeneca signed an initial commercial supply agreement with Oxford Biomedica last month to manufacture the vaccine being co-developed by the University of Oxford. — Jordan Williams