JAPAN NEWS



 

JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. is planning to ship undiluted solution of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC within a month, the biopharmaceutical firm’s Chairman and President Shin Ashida said Wednesday.

“Nearly 100 employees have been assigned to the task and working with a sense of mission,” Ashida told reporters. “The target is finally in sight.”

The government signed a contract with AstraZeneca for 120 million doses of its vaccine covering 60 million people. The plan calls for at least 90 million doses to be produced in Japan.

JCR Pharmaceuticals is one of the firms AstraZeneca has entrusted with production. The Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture-based firm has been producing the vaccine at its plant in Kobe since earlier this year.

Daiichi Sankyo Co. and KM Biologics Co. are in charge of production processes such as adjusting the content of the undiluted solution and filling vials.

Inoculations using AstraZeneca’s vaccine will be possible after the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry gives approval.