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By John Miller
ZURICH, March 15 (Reuters) - Swiss contract drug
manufacturer Lonza received a key licence from
Switzerland to produce ingredients for Moderna's
COVID-19 vaccine, regulator Swissmedic said on Monday, a boost
for a global inoculation program that has hit some snags.
The licence, for Lonza's new $70 million production line in
Visp, Switzerland, dedicated to make ingredients for the Moderna
vaccine, will help boost the U.S.-based company's deliveries to
Europe, Canada and other nations outside the United States.
Moderna scaled back some deliveries in February to countries
in Europe while insisting its vaccine shipments would still hit
targets for the first quarter and beyond as Lonza's production
of ingredients accelerated. Swissmedic's licence, for the first
of three large production lines in Visp, will help meet that
goal.
"The licence was issued last week following a successful
inspection of the production plant in Visp. At this newly
approved site Lonza can manufacture, on behalf of Moderna,
active substances for COVID-19 vaccines," Swissmedic said in a
statement.
Global vaccine supplies have hit some snags, as Johnson &
Johnson's has flagged potential supply issues, and
countries including Germany temporarily suspended use of
AstraZeneca's vaccine while reports of health issues in
people who have been vaccinated are investigated.
Lonza's Visp facility received a so-called establishment
licence, which Swissmedic said proves that the company has the
"resources and processes needed to ensure and constantly monitor
the quality of its products".
Two additional production lines at Lonza in Visp are nearing
completion, while another Lonza plant in Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, is supplying Moderna for vaccines destined for the
United States.
Lonza Chief Executive Pierre-Alain Ruffieux has said it
could take a couple of months before Lonza's new facilities hit
"cruising speed". Moderna has committed to supplying 700 million
to 1 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide in 2021.
(Reporting by John Miller
Editing by Paul Simao)
