Just after Sanofi stepped in to help roll out Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccines in Europe, Novartis is exploring whether it can use its own manufacturing network to boost COVID-19 supply. Separately, the U.S. measures the Defense Production Act to force drug dealers to produce Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines.
Novartis is “currently in talks with several companies with a view to supporting the manufacture of vaccines and test components for Covid-19,” a spokesman said.
Novartis sees controlling the pandemic as “one of the most important concerns for leaders, businesses and individuals around the world,” he said. The company “explores ways in which we can collaborate with our industry partners, and accelerates our manufacturing capability and capabilities to contribute to the pandemic effort.”
Although Novartis is not at the forefront of COVID-19 vaccination or drug development, it is engaged in the fight. Last year, AveXis released a Novartis gene kit to form a name for an early-stage COVID-19 gene that was studied by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, for example.
At the same time, the U.S. government is considering cracking down on drug manufacturers who do not already make vaccines to produce doses of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA strains through the Defense Production Act, reports Reuters. Both vaccines carry FDA emergency authority, but supply and supply barriers are limited.
RELATED: Sanofi, after R&D back, hands over competitive Pfizer vaccine for coronavirus production
At a press conference this week, White House senior adviser Andy Slavitt said he did not want to “talk about specific names,” as the news service had said, but said no. the administration “fears to explore all options to get more vaccines available to the public as soon as possible.” Before taking office, President Joe Biden’s advisers said the new president would attack him. Defense Representation Act to promote vaccine supply.
The talks come right after French drug dealer Sanofi signed 100 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for Europe. After Sanofi suffered last year R&D for its own vaccine program, the company reached out to compete with Pfizer to see if it would help with manufacturing. The first bags will be delivered from the Sanofi site in Frankfurt, Germany, before August, a spokesman said.
Even as the Biden team discusses the Defense Production Act, experts recently raised concerns with Kaiser Health News about the legitimacy of the plan and the complexity of mRNA vaccine production. A routine pharma manufacturing plant would require a time shift, hard cleaning, equipment conversion and staff training, they said. In addition, there is no way to be sure that vaccines derived from the new plant are safe and effective without testing, one expert told KHN.
TAKE: Order up: US calls on Pfizer, Moderna for an additional 200 million vaccine doses
In a separate move to address supply concerns, the Biden administration this week ordered another 200 million mRNA vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna, bringing the total U.S. withdrawal to up to 600 million doses. That supply, when delivered, will be enough to vaccinate 300 million people, or almost the entire U.S. population. The new doses are on tap for summer delivery.
The administration is also measuring bringing more distributors on board to support delivery, Reuters reports.