AstraZeneca to produce 40 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in Japan

The Japanese government signed a contract with the drug giant AstraZeneca to produce coronavirus doses for 60 million people. The company's Japan unit, along with its partner JCR Pharmaceuticals Co, will produce 40 million doses in the prefecture of Hyogo in western Japan and will begin local distribution as soon as it receives government approval. AstraZeneca filed for fast-track approval of its vaccine with the health ministry last week. 

40mn Covid-19 doses in Japan

The pharmaceutical company (JCR) has already received AstraZeneca's vector vaccine. It will be cultured in a JCR Pharmaceuticals facility and the company can increase supply without relying on imports. The vaccine manufactured by the company will be sent to the factories of Daiichi Sankyo and Meiji. They will fill it with vials and package it. Then finally the finished product will be shipped to hospitals. AstraZeneca has commissioned the company in an earlier arrangement. This will help in ensuring that the country receives enough doses of the vaccine. 

Also, the University of Oxford on Saturday announced that it will conduct clinical trials of the Covid-19 vaccine (AstraZeneca) on children as young as 6 years old up to 17 to test the vaccine’s efficacy in young people. Researchers will recruit at least 300 kid volunteers for the assessment of the level of immune response the jabs produce in children. According to the University of Oxford’s release, any kid will be eligible to participate in the vaccine trial if they resided near one of the centers in Oxford, St George’s University Hospital, London, Southampton, or Bristol.

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The EU grilled AstraZeneca over vaccine delivery delays

Recently, the EU accused AstraZeneca of diverting its supplies to the United Kingdom and other markets. The company said that the delay has occurred due to startup issues at European production sites. Also, Italy has threatened to take legal action against AstraZeneca if it fails to deliver promised doses on time, saying delays would impact the country's vaccination strategy and the lives of vulnerable people. 

Earlier, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato asserted, "It is very important to establish vaccine production system in the country. He informed, "the plan is part of 120 million doses that AstraZeneca promised to supply to Japan under a deal the two sides already agreed upon." On February 14, Japan formally approved its first Covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer), while approval of the Moderna vaccine is unlikely until May. Japan, which is under a partial state of emergency due to the pandemic, has recorded 4,21,967 coronavirus cases, out of which, 3,95,492 have been recovered. Whereas, the country reported 7,274 deaths so far. 

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