Tara Murray
A Broadmeadows company is at the forefront of Australia’s quest to find a COVID-19 vaccine.
CSL Limited, a leading global biotechnology company, is manufacturing two different possible vaccines, with work beginning on the second vaccine last week.
CSL Limited has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with the federal government for the supply of 51 million doses of the University of Queensland’s (UQ) COVID-19 vaccine candidate (V451), and a separate HoA with AstraZeneca to manufacture approximately 30 million doses of the Oxford University candidate (AZD1222), should clinical trials of both prove successful.
Multiple doses of the UQ-CSL V451 vaccine candidate have already been manufactured at the Broadmeadows facility and are being held in readiness to progress the vaccine to the next stage of clinical trials.
The decision to proceed to the next clinical trial stage will be made once phase one data has been released and analysed.
Last week, the manufacturing process started for the AZD1222 candidate, with the thawing of vials containing vaccine cells.
Over the next 12 months, CSL will manufacture eight large scale batches of the AZD1222 vaccine.
If the vaccine’s safety and efficacy is proven in clinical trials currently underway, it is anticipated that the vaccine will be administered to people in two doses.
CSL’s chief scientific officer Andrew Nash said work starting on the manufacturing of the vaccines was an important part of the process.
“This is an important milestone and marks the end of many months of around the clock preparation by our skilled personnel globally within CSL Behring, Seqirus and research and development,” Dr Nash said.
“Both campaigns are still technically challenging but at this time we are tracking well and expect to produce the AZD1222 and the UQ-CSL V451 vaccine for Australia by mid-2021.
“There’s still a long way to go and our first priority resolutely remains the safety and efficacy of the vaccines we produce.
“We are undertaking these manufacturing activities at-risk and in parallel with the clinical trials and approvals processes in recognition of the significant urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The vaccines will not be released for use until the relevant clinical trial and manufacturing data are reviewed and approved by the Australian government regulatory authority; the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
