Baxter BioPharma Solutions to manufacture Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

Manufacturing at Baxter's Halle/Westfalen, Germany facility will help increase commercial production and promote access in UK and European markets

Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine candidate is currently in Phase III trials and has not yet been authorized or approved for use.

In a bid to ensure the vaccine reaches patients if and when it receives approval, the Novavax/Baxter partnership will help to advance commercial-scale manufacturing, essential for the vaccine's production and distribution in the UK and European markets.

The contract manufacturer, which specialises in parenteral (injectable) pharmaceuticals, including vaccines, will operate from its state-of-the-art facility in Halle/Westfalen, Germany.

The recently expanded site has broad sterile manufacturing capabilities and areas of focus, offers current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) manufacturing with dedicated production areas and is designed to deliver products with optimum efficiency and speed-to-market.

According to Novavax, NVX-CoV2373 contains a full-length, prefusion spike protein made using Novavax’ recombinant nanoparticle technology and the company’s proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant.

The purified protein is encoded by the genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and is produced in insect cells.

It can neither cause COVID-19 disease nor can it replicate, is stable at 2–8 °C and is manufactured in a ready-to-use liquid formulation that permits distribution using standard vaccine supply chain channels.

“The quest to develop vaccines for COVID-19 has reinforced the opportunity for industry partners to work together and contribute their unique capabilities and expertise for the benefit of all,” said Marie Keeley, vice president, Baxter BioPharma Solutions.