DWK Life Sciences will provide the VMIC with borosilicate pharmaceutical glass vials which can be used to store vaccines.
The VMIC was set up to provide the UK’s first strategic vaccine development and advanced manufacturing capability and has taken a leading role in advising government teams on vaccines manufacturing in response to Covid-19. The VMIC has two specialist sites opening in 2020 which are equipped to manufacture a leading Covid-19 viral vector vaccine candidate. The VMIC also has a permanent facility in development expected to open in 2021.
To prepare for further orders, DWK Life Sciences is looking to make additional investment at its Stoke-on-Trent manufacturing plant in order to increase its production capabilities.
Gareth Rowlands, CEO at DWK Life Sciences Limited, said: “This is a tremendous development for our business. We will be working hard to ensure the benefits of vaccine breakthroughs linked to VMIC’s work can be fully realised and delivered to front line health services as quickly as possible as a result of a robust primary packaging supply chain.
“This will involve an immediate acceleration in capacity at our Stoke-on-Trent site and plans for future expansion, ensuring we are well placed to meet any ramp up in the future.”
Chris Lucas, chief operating officer at the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre, said: “It’s crucial that we have a robust supply chain in place for when we are fully operational in 2021 and this agreement with DWK Life Sciences shores up a proportion of the vials VMIC will need.
“I’m delighted that a UK company has been secured as part of this procurement process – growing the vaccines supply chain in the UK is vitally important if we are to have sovereign resilience in the long-term.”
