AstraZeneca to produce 90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Japan, says official

In order to secure enough vaccines for the population, Japan will be producing 90 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. As per the reports by NikkeiAsia, the production will be undertaken by JCR Pharmaceuticals. AstraZeneca has commissioned the company in an earlier arrangement. This will help in ensuring that the country receives enough doses of the vaccine. 

The pharmaceutical company has already received AstraZeneca's vector vaccine. It can be cultured in a JCR Pharmaceuticals facility and the company can increase supply without relying on imports. The vaccine manufactured by the company  will be sent to the factories of Daiichi Sankyo and Meiji. They will fill it with vials and package it. Then finally the finished product will be shipped to hospitals. 

Read: AstraZeneca Pulls Out Of EU Meet For Being Questioned Over Delay In Vaccine Delivery

Pulled out of talks 

Recently, AstraZeneca pulled out of talks with the European Union, where the company was being grilled over its vaccine delivery delays. As per the reports by AP, an EU official, who wishes to remain anonymous said that AstraZeneca has pulled out of the meeting. The official said that the bloc would insist AstraZeneca to return to the talks once firm's vaccine gets approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which might happen before the end of this month.  

The EU recently accused AstraZeneca of diverting its supplies to the United Kingdom and other markets. However, the company says that the delay has occurred due to startup issues at European production sites. The European Union has also threatened to impose export controls with the European Commission chief Ursula Von der Leyen saying they will seek prior notification from manufacturers on to whom and where the vaccine doses are being delivered. This has received backing from major EU countries, including Germany, which has called for fair distribution of doses.

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Also, Italy has threatened to take legal action against AstraZeneca if it fails to deliver promised doses on time, saying delays would impact the country's vaccination strategy and the lives of vulnerable people. Europe is way behind in vaccinating its population when compared to nations such as Israel, which has already inoculated more than 40 per cent of its people. On papers, Europe has secured over 2 billion doses of vaccines from multiple manufacturers, way more than what is needed for its 450 million people. 

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(Image Credits: AP)