Emergent BioSolutions Pumps Out Bulk Active Drug Product for J&J COVID Vaccine, an Industrial Info Market Brief

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Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine has become the third to receive emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Emergent BioSolutions is busy producing the bulk active drug product for the vaccine, before it is shipped off for "fill and finish" at other plants, including those owned by CMO manufacturer Catalent. In that step, the drug product is thawed, diluted and divided into vials ready for distribution.

The J&J vaccine, while only having a 66% efficacy rate as opposed to the 94-95% rates claimed by Moderna and Pfizer for their vaccines, offers some key advantages. It is a single-dose product, which can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures for three months. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are much more fragile and require sub-zero temperatures for longer-term storage.

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