Vibalogics agrees to additional manufacturing for lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate of J&J unit

CDMO is contracted to produce multiple clinical batches from German facility

Vibalogics has agreed to manufacture additional clinical trial material for the lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine unit, Janssen, the contract development and manufacturing organisation said on Monday.

In a statement, the firm said it was contracted to manufacture multiple batches from its GMP accredited facility in Cuxhaven, Germany, “which will result in many thousands of doses of an investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate.”

“This has been a tremendous challenge for everyone at Vibalogics, but one which the entire team has embraced as an opportunity to use our experience and expertise in the global fight against COVID-19,” Stefan Beyer, managing director and CEO of Vibalogics said.

The CDMO, which offers process development, manufacturing, testing and fill-finish services, has recently invested in new equipment to handle larger clinical batches including a new filling line capable of filling and labelling more than 30,000 vials per batch.

In May 2019, Vibalogics was acquired by private equity firm Ampersand Capital Partners, with a remit to extend its US footprint. The CDMO said it is set to establish a commercial facility in North America for oncolytic viruses, viral vectors for gene therapy approaches and viral vector vaccines “in the near future.”