Reig Jofre announces technology transfer of the large scale manufacturing in Spain for a Covid-19 vaccine candidate

REIG JOFRE, Pharmaceutical company listed on the Spanish stock exchange, has reached an agreement with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), to execute the technology transfer to manufacture its investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Ad26.COV2-S.

REIG JOFRE’s long standing, widely recognized experience in the manufacturing of sterile injectable products, together with the availability of a state-of-the-art new Plant in Barcelona scheduled to come on-stream in the first quarter of 2021, create a unique opportunity to contribute to the need for a fast and secure deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

After months of evaluation and technical work by supply chain, manufacturing, and operations teams, the execution of the agreement is expected to result in REIG JOFRE producing its first batches of this vaccine candidate, presuming approval by appropriate health authorities.

In 2018 REIG JOFRE committed to a €30 million investment to build a new Plant to produce Injectable Products in Barcelona that would triple existing capacity and boost its efficiency. Integrating cutting-edge isolator technology and highly automated processes, this facility guarantees the quality and safety of aseptic production at its highest level. This investment was made to bring REIG JOFRE additional capacity to satisfy the increasing demand for its products, the development of new markets internationally, and the growth of contract manufacturing for third parties.

The project candidate entails additional investment, already underway, to ensure the new facility complies with the biosafety levels required by the Ad26.COV2-S vaccine candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, REIG JOFRE will be responsible for the formulation, filling, and packaging of the vaccine candidate, which will then be distributed by Janssen.

Ignasi Biosca, CEO of REIG JOFRE, highlights: “We are proud to see that the sustained effort of REIG JOFRE to invest in technology and industrial capabilities will now be decisive for contributing to deploy COVID-19 Vaccine into a large number of countries. Having been chosen by Janssen as one of its partners for the manufacturing of its Ad26.COV2-S vaccine candidate will give REIG JOFRE the opportunity to prove the strategic value that strong, competitive, and technologically advanced industries can play in overcoming such difficult situations as the one we are facing at present.

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