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* Other partners include Bayer, GSK, Fareva, Rentschler
* Novartis site to come on-stream in summer of 2021
* Novartis to make up to 50 mln doses this yr, more next
year
(Adds details on partners)
By Ludwig Burger
FRANKFURT, March 4 (Reuters) - German biotech firm CureVac
has enlisted Swiss pharma giant Novartis to
help with the production of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine,
boosting a network of contract manufacturers ahead of results
from a pivotal trial.
Novartis plans to manufacture the mRNA molecules that the
two-shot vaccine is based on as well as "bulk drug product" for
up to 50 million doses by the end of 2021 and up to a further
200 million doses in 2022, the two companies said on Thursday.
Delivery from the manufacturing site in Kundl, Austria, is
expected to start in summer 2021, they added.
The deal adds Novartis to a list of CureVac contractors for
manufacturing and filling vials that include Bayer,
family-owned Fareva of France, Wacker and Rentschler
Biopharma SE, among others.
Britain's GlaxoSmithKline, which is working with
CureVac on next-generation vaccines that target several
coronavirus variants with one shot, will also help with
production this year.
CureVac, which began late-stage testing of the vaccine in
December, has said it expects to announce interim results this
quarter and that it aims to produce up to 300 million doses in
2021 and between 600 million and 1 billion doses in 2022.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, editing by Thomas Escritt and Emma
Thomasson)
