Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Tuesday that Thermo Fisher Scientific would manufacture the drug developer's experimental coronavirus vaccine, as it looks to boost the supply ahead of large trials this month.
The company said it plans to have 100 million doses of its vaccine, INO-4800, in 2021 through its third-party manufacturers.
U.S.-based Inovio is in the race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 892,000 people globally.
The vaccine was found to be safe in early-stage studies and a larger study is expected to begin later this month, subject to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's clearance.
The development timeline lags those of rivals such as Moderna Inc, Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca, which have begun late-stage studies of their coronavirus vaccine candidates.
Thermo Fisher joins other manufacturers such as Richter-Helm BioLogics and Ology Biosciences in making Inovio's experimental vaccine.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
