WHO recommends AstraZeneca vaccine also for over 65s. Agreement with Biologika: production grows in the EU

2021-02-10T15:27:06.602Z

WHO experts also recommend AstraZeneca's vaccine for people over 65, and they say it can also be used against covid variants. AstraZeneca and the company IDT Biologika have signed a letter of intent to increase the production of the COVID-19 vaccine in Europe and the long-term supply capacity. The agreement, to be finalized, aims to increase the capacity of the IDT Biologika production site in Dessau in Germany, in order to build up to 5 2,000-liter bioreactors capable of producing tens of millions of vaccine doses per month. The new resources are expected to be operational by the end of 2022. The investment, explains AstraZeneca, could also enable the production of other vaccines that share a similar manufacturing process, greatly expanding domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity in Europe. IDT Biologika, AstraZeneca points out, "will have some of the largest production capacities for such vaccines in Europe and will play an important role in ensuring Europe's future independence in relation to vaccine supply". This agreement, said Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca, "will greatly help Europe build an independent capacity for vaccine production that will enable it to meet the challenges of the current pandemic and create a strategic supply capacity for the future. We are delighted to invest with our partner IDT Biologika in the future health, safety and well-being of millions of citizens across Europe. I would like to thank the German Federal Government and the European Commission for their support of our efforts. "