Australia is interested in producing a cutting-edge form of COVID-19 vaccine onshore, but the Health Minister warns it could take the “best part of a year” for manufacturing to begin.
www.news.com.au
So, now it may be possible within about 12 months?
It was always possible in a 12 month period to begin manufacture. What was not possible was to after a recent decision to favour mRNA (as well as other vaccines like Novavax) for under 50's to do so immediately and to only expect supply for say a one year program..
One has to be able to build a facility (minimum of 6 months) as well as to be able to source the special bags required as well as the lipids which are currently in world wide short supply. So even if you had a mRNA plant built now it would probably be sitting idle.
Plus it has it be financially viable. So the Government needs to dangle the right contracts (carrots) as any company willing to undertake building such a facility will want to make a profit over the long-term. This will mean long-term supply contracts.
Plus to be manufactured here the companies that developed the mRNA vaccines have to be willing to either do so, or to license another company to do so. So far Pfizer has only permitted one French company to temporarily manufacture the Pfizer vaccine in France.
With Pfizer now indicating that the two dose vaccine is now a 3 dose vaccine plus an annual dose afterwards there is now a greater current need (ie within 12 month) and importantly ongoing market as well for annual vaccinations. So what they such a plant would for would be more to supply the ongoing annual vaccinations, and presumably not just for the Australian market but for other markets.
2026
However the 2026 timeline for the new Seqirus Vaccine Plant in Melbourne is not for mRNA (Though they could add it on) , but for: a number of other products including the for the Flu Vaccines a transition from egg based to cell-based technology. This was not urgent and so the total facility is being built over a number of years (ie will be completed n 2026).
MELBOURNE - Seqirus, the world’s second largest influenza vaccine provider, today announced it plans to construct a new world-class biotech manufacturing facility in Australia to supply influenza vaccines to Australia and the rest of the world.
The state-of-the-art facility will use innovative cell-based technology to produce influenza vaccines for use in both influenza pandemics and seasonal vaccination programs – and will be the only cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
The facility will also manufacture Seqirus’ proprietary adjuvant MF59® - a substance added to some vaccines to improve immune response and to reduce the amount of antigen needed for each vaccine, enabling more doses to be manufactured more rapidly.
In addition, the facility will produce unique products important to Australia’s public health needs – including antivenom for Australian snakes, spiders and marine creatures, and the world’s only human vaccine for Q-Fever.
16 Nov 2020 Seqirus will build the only cell-based influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere – producing seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines, Seqirus’ proprietary...
www.seqirus.com