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Chinese biotech firm Clover signs deal to make millions of Covid-19 vaccines for Covax Facility
- The agreement reached with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance could see the start-up supplying 414 million doses by the end of next year
- The Chengdu-based start-up could provide up to 64 million doses to low and middle-income countries this year if it is approved by the WHO
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A Chinese biotech start-up developing a protein-based Covid-19 vaccine has signed an advance purchase agreement to supply up to 414 million doses for global use by next year.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership, announced the deal with Clover Biopharmaceuticals on Wednesday on behalf of the Covax Facility, an initiative that aims to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for low and middle-income countries.
Should the vaccine be approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use, Chengdu-based Clover will initially provide 64 million doses this year.
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Gavi also had the option to buy up to 350 million doses next year and vaccines that were updated for variants in the future, it said in a statement.
“The pandemic continues to evolve, and to be best prepared, Covax’s actively managed, diverse portfolio will be critical to meeting countries’ needs, and protecting against risks such as regulatory delays, variants, and supply constraints,” said Seth Berkley, Gavi’s chief executive. “Today’s agreement with Clover Biopharmaceuticals is yet another important step in that direction.”
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It is the first Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine that has been officially named as a supplier to the WHO-backed Covax Facility. Earlier this month, Sinopharm, which gained WHO emergency use listing for its vaccine in May, produced 10 million doses to be donated to Covax.
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