Takeda to supply Japan with 150 million doses of Novavax COVID vaccine

Japan's biggest drugmaker prepares to make the vaccine domestically and anticipates early 2022 distribution

The vaccine (TAK-019 in Japan), which is in development and still to receive approval, will be manufactured by Takeda — Novavax's distribution partner for its vaccine in Japan.

Building on the agreement made with Novavax in August 2020, in which Takeda expected to deliver more than 250 million doses of the vaccine per year, the Japanese firm is establishing the capability to manufacture TAK-019 (known outside Japan as NVX-CoV2373) at its facilities in Japan and aims to begin distribution early next year.

Under the agreement, Novavax is licensing and transferring manufacturing technologies to enable Takeda to manufacture the vaccine antigen; Novavax is also supplying the Matrix-M adjuvant to Takeda for fill/finish together with the antigen.

Takeda will assume responsibility for the Japanese clinical trial and regulatory submission to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and will distribute TAK-019 in Japan should it be approved by the MHLW.