The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) visited Wockhardt UK’s Wrexham manufacturing facility. The company has reserved capacity to allow for the supply of multiple vaccines to the UK government in its fight against COVID-19.
Wockhardt UK specialises in the manufacture of sterile injectables and one of the major suppliers to the NHS. It has had a site in Wrexham for over 20 years and employs more than 500 people at the 612,000 sq ft factory.
Dr Habil Khorakiwala, Founder Chairman of Wockhardt said, “The visit today by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales demonstrates recognition of our global strength in sterile injectable facilities and capacity. With four decades of expertise and experience behind us, we have been able to quickly rise to the occasion, scale up the manufacture of the vaccines and assist in mitigating the worldwide impact of COVID-19.”
Wockhardt UK has been instrumental in the manufacture of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and carries out the ‘fill and finish’ stage of the vaccine manufacturing process. The firm has a manufacturing contract with the UK Government in place until August 2022. This involves dispensing the COVID-19 vaccine into vials ready for it to be sent out across the country.
The visit comes eight months after Wockhardt welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who thanked staff for their hard work, saying that the vaccines could provide the “salvation for humanity.” Dr Murtaza Khorakiwala, Managing Director and Global CEO of Wockhardt adds, “We are delighted to showcase our innovation, talent and expertise at Wockhardt UK to His Royal Highness. We are committed to the cause and can be a key partner globally in fighting the world’s most demanding need of the hour during COVID-19.”
Ravi Limaye, Managing Director, Wockhardt UK said, “It is a great honour to have His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visit us today. We have been working at pace to ensure that our sophisticated sterile facility and our highly skilled workforce are geared up to manufacture the vaccines which have already been widely distributed to people across the UK.”
“To have His Royal Highness here to witness the pride and purpose of the Wockhardt team in Wrexham means so much to everyone.”