Aspen's existing sterile facility in Port Elizabeth.
Aspen subsidiary Pharmacare, which trades as Aspen Pharmacare, has entered into a preliminary agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceutica for the technical transfer and proposed commercial manufacture of their Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Ad26.COV2-S.
The agreement is still subject to the successful completion of the relevant technology transfer activities and finalisation of certain commercial manufacturing terms, but Aspen Pharmacare has agreed to provide the necessary capacity required for the manufacture of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate at its existing sterile facility in Port Elizabeth.
Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceutica are two of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
The vaccine candidate is currently undergoing clinical trials.
Aspen Pharmacare will perform formulation, filling and secondary packaging of the vaccine for supply to Johnson & Johnson.
Aspen has invested in excess of R3-billion in the facility containing the high-technology equipment and systems that will be used to manufacture state-of-the-art sterile drugs and vaccines, packaged into vials, ampoules and pre-filled syringes.
The production area where it is intended that the vaccine candidate will be manufactured has capacity to produce more than 300-million doses a year, and the facility has accreditation from a range of international regulatory authorities and provides lifesaving medicines to both the domestic and international markets.
The facility was part of the first flagship investments announced at President Cyril Ramapahosa’s inaugural South Africa Investment Conference in 2018.