Catalent to provide AstraZeneca with finishing and packaging for University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Late-stage manufacturing services will be conducted at Catalent’s facility in Anagni, Italy in preparation for large-scale commercial supply of the vaccine

The late-stage manufacturing services will be conducted at Catalent’s facility in Anagni, Italy in preparation for large-scale commercial supply of the adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222.

Catalent will prepare the facility 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 dependent on regulatory approval.

Catalent said Agnani offers capabilities in aseptic liquid filling for biologics and sterile products across multiple vial sizes as well as primary and secondary packaging, including serialization, to support product launches for oral solids, sterile, and biologics products.

Alessandro Maselli, President and Chief Operating Officer at Catalent said the 28,000 square-meter Anagni site has often been used as a primary launch facility for new medicines.

“Catalent has significant experience in the tech transfer and rapid scale-up of vaccine programs to meet demand,” he added.

Catalent’s Biologics network includes sterile drug product manufacturing and packaging facilities in Brussels, Belgium and Bloomington, Indiana, and additional facilities in Europe and the US for manufacturing proteins, viral vectors for gene therapies and cell therapies, and biologics analytical services.

The recombinant adenovirus vaccine technology was created by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, and AZD1222 is currently in clinical trials.