A North Staffordshire biologics business has signed a supply agreement with a global pharmaceutical giant for the manufacture of a vaccine to combat Covid-19.
Cobra Biologics, which has two facilities at Keele University, has signed the deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture the AZD1222 vaccine – previously known as ChAdOx1 n-CoV-19.
The production agreement is part of AstraZeneca’s recently announced in-licensed programme with the University of Oxford to ensure broad and equitable supply of the vaccine throughout the world, at no profit during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Peter Coleman, chief executive at Cobra Biologics, said: “I am extremely proud of the contribution made by the Cobra team alongside our consortium partners and despite the current restrictive requirements in place, the progress being made with demanding timelines is outstanding.
“Cobra’s considerable expertise in GMP viral vector scale up and manufacture will be critical to a successful manufacturing campaign. The agreement with AstraZeneca comes at an opportune time for us as we bring three additional viral vector suites online as part of our ongoing advanced therapies expansion programme.”
Cobra Biologics employs 114 people in the UK and a further 100 in Sweden. The company is part of a consortium which is attempting to develop the world’s first coronavirus vaccine.
The project - which is being led by Oxford University’s Jenner Institute - aims to rapidly develop, scale up and produce the potential adenoviral vaccine candidate for fast-track clinical trials for the disease.
