CSL in talks with AstraZeneca to produce COVID-19 vaccine in Melbourne
CSL confirms it is in talks with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca about producing its vaccine in Melbourne.
Australia’s biggest health company, CSL, has confirmed it is in talks with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca about producing its vaccine in Melbourne as part of its efforts to ensure there are doses available to inoculate Australians when a drug hits the market.
The discussions with AstraZeneca come as CSL is completing clinical trials with the University of Queensland on its molecular clamp vaccine candidate.
AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot joined CSL’s board as an independent non-executive director earlier this month.
The two-prong approach allays some fears that Australia will be left at the end of the queue in the global rush to access a coronavirus vaccine when one is fully developed and proven safe and effective.
The talks with AstraZeneca include CSL potentially producing its vaccine under a licensing deal at its advanced manufacturing facility at Broadmeadows in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
“Development of the UQ vaccine candidate remains CSL’s priority,” a company spokeswoman said.
“However, we are currently in discussions with AstraZeneca and the Australian Government to assess whether it is possible to provide local manufacturing support for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, should it prove successful, while protecting our commitment to the UQ vaccine.
“We are assessing the viability of options ranging from the fill and finish of bulk product imported to Australia through to manufacture of the vaccine candidate under licence.”
CSL’s comments came after Health Minister Greg Hunt said at the weekend he was “genuinely optimistic” a COVID-19 vaccine would be internationally available by next year, declaring the nation was close to reaching a deal to produce it in Australia.
A total of 168 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world, according to a WHO overview published last week, with the leading candidate for an Australian deal developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
The Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine is produced in mammalian cells, making CSL’s factory at Broadmeadows in Melbourne’s north ideal for its production.
CSL Behring’s Broadmeadows plant is currently set up for mammalian cell production or recombinant therapies, meaning there is baseline compatibility between Oxford University/AstraZeneca’s candidate and CSL’s expertise.
But the CSL spokeswoman said that while developments with Oxford University and AstraZeneca looked positive, success was far from guaranteed.
“There are a number of technical issues to work through and discussions are ongoing.”
The Australian understands considerations that would need to be worked through before any agreement is struck include capacity to schedule manufacturing around CSL’s existing product commitments as well as regulatory requirements.
CSL says it has capacity to produce 100 million doses of the UQ COVID-19 vaccine by the end of next year if clinical trials in Australia and in high-infection areas overseas are successful.
It struck a partnership with the Oslo-based and Bill Gates-backed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and UQ to accelerate the development and manufacturing of UQ’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
CSL said last month negotiations with the federal government for a formal national supply agreement were ongoing, but highlighted that the Commonwealth provided a range of free vaccines through the National Immunisation Program, based on expert medical advice for eligible Australians.
The company also committed that its dose allocation would be used “at a minimum” to support its longstanding public health commitment to the Australian community.
“It is early days before we will know whether the UQ vaccine will be successful and clinical trials are not expected to be completed until mid to late 2021. Pricing will be a matter for discussion between CSL and the institutions and governments procuring the vaccine,” CSL said.
“Any pricing agreed will be reasonable and reflect the investment required to sustain manufacturing, supply and availability.
“With respect to CEPI’s dose allocation, this will be subject to CEPI’s equitable access obligations, which require that the doses will be available first to populations at risk when and where they are needed, at prices both affordable to those populations and sustainable to CSL.”
Mr Hunt told Sky News on Sunday that he had been cautious in the past to say that a vaccine would become available but the latest medical advice had been a “genuine ray of hope”, suggesting there had been great progress across multiple vaccine candidates.
“We are in advanced negotiations with a range of different companies with regards to a vaccine,” he said. “I have been very cautious in the past about the prospect of a vaccine. I am now on the basis of our best health advice, genuinely more optimistic.
“We are very fortunately placed due to years and years of preparation, with regards to having the national reserves facility which CSL operates. That means it has a capacity through its vaccine secures based in Melbourne to produce vaccines, under contract from around the world.”
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