JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. will build a new plant in Kobe for the production of the basic fluid of British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC's COVID-19 vaccine, the Hyogo Prefecture-based firm announced Thursday.
The company is currently preparing for mass production of the vaccine's basic fluid at an existing plant in Kobe, but it has decided that a new plant is needed to ensure a stable supply.
Construction of the new plant will start in July, and it is expected to be completed in October 2022, with production starting from 2023 or later.
JCR Pharmaceuticals signed a contract with AstraZeneca in December to produce the basic fluid. The contract requires JCR Pharmaceuticals to maintain production lines at least until the end of March 2030.
The company plans to produce the vaccine's basic fluid at an existing plant for the time being, and transfer the entire production to the new plant upon its completion.
The total investment in the new plant is expected to be about 13.6 billion yen including the cost of land acquisition.
In December, AstraZeneca signed a contract with the Japanese government to supply enough doses of the vaccine for 60 million people, and it plans to domestically produce enough doses for over 45 million people.
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