Sinovac will invest $3 billion in mass production of vaccines and pharmaceuticals

BEIJING: Sinovac Biotech Ltd (Sinovac), a leading China-based biopharmaceutical company, will invest US$2 billion in research and development (RnD) and an additional US$3 billion in mass production of vaccines and pharmaceuticals over the course of of the next five years.

Its chief operating officer, Qiang Gao, said at the same time that the company also wants to establish research and development centers as well as industrial bases in more than 10 countries to better serve local people, local governments and people. of the whole world.

“Sinovac has established reliable cooperative relationships with dozens of countries and obtained product sales licenses, among which Covid-19 vaccine, hepatitis A vaccines and influenza vaccine have been sold in many countries. countries, including Southeast Asia,” he said.

He told the media during Sinovac’s World Media Day at Sinovac’s vaccine headquarters here, in the presence of 84 journalists from 63 countries who participate in the China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) program.

Qiang said that until September this year, the total global supply of Sinovac vaccines was 2.88 billion doses, of which 1.75 billion doses were supplied to China and 1.13 billion doses went to China. been sent to countries and regions outside of China.

He said that over the past 20 years, Sinovac has developed 13 types of vaccines that have been used in more than 80 countries and regions, benefiting more than three billion people.

“We believe that Sinovac vaccines and other pharmaceuticals will reach more countries and contribute to people’s health in more countries,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinovac Vice President and Quality Management Committee Chairman Weining Meng said the company wants to help foreign countries strengthen their vaccine research and development efforts as well as their health services. public.

He said it was mostly to help developing countries better prepare for the next pandemic should it occur.

“We not only want to become the real reliable vaccine supplier, but we would also like to become a strategic partner for the public health safeties of these countries by building a local vaccine industry, setting up local vaccine development facilities “, did he declare. .

Sinovac launched the construction of a vaccine factory in Chile with a total investment of $100 million in May, which will be able to produce 50 million doses of vaccine per year when completed. The country has also donated a vaccine cold storage facility to Egypt with a capacity of up to 150 million vaccine doses.

Malaysia received the first delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine from Sinovac on February 27 last year.

Earlier, reporters paid a visit to the quality control lab, which has tested more than 3.5 million vaccine doses. In addition to this, the media entourage also visited the Covid-19 Vaccine Bulk Workshop which can produce approximately one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine (Vero Cell).-Bernama