Wockhardt signs deal with UK to supply millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses

Mumbai-based global pharmaceutical and biotechnology firm Wockhardt has signed a deal with the United Kingdom government to supply million of doses of multiple COVID-19 vaccines. According to reports, the agreement signed between Wockhardt and the British government will require the company to fill the vaccines into syringes and vials and package them for delivery as finished products. Right after the news of the deal broke out, the shares of Wockhardt reportedly jumped by 10 percent at the Mumbai market. 

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The United Kingdom government has reportedly reserved the production line of one of the Wockhardt subsidiaries in Wales for a similar purpose, where it will fill vaccines and package them for delivery. One of the vaccines that Wockhardt will fill and pack is the top contender AZD1222, which is being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are currently 150 potential vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 being developed across the world, with 25 of them already in the human trial stage.

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Wockhardt

Wockhardt is a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology organisation, providing affordable, high-quality medicines for a healthier world. It is India’s leading research-based global healthcare enterprise with relevance in the fields of Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, and a chain of advanced Super Speciality Hospitals, the company's website says. Wockhardt has a workforce of 8600 associates from 21 different nationalities globally. It has 3 research centres and 12 manufacturing plants, with businesses ranging from the manufacture and marketing of Pharmaceutical and Bio-pharmaceutical formulations, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), and Vaccines.

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