Wockhardt announced that it has been awarded a six-month extension of its agreement with the UK Government to fill-finish COVID-19 vaccines. This expands the original agreement from 18 to 24 months i.e., until August 2022 and the manufacturing will continue to be undertaken at CP Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Wockhardt based in Wrexham, North Wales.
Liz Truss, UK International Trade Secretary, on her visit to Mumbai as part of a drive to improve business links between UK and India announced the extension. She said, “This is a brilliant bit of news for the UK and people of Wrexham. It brings important investment to the local area, bringing jobs and security to the community as we battle this awful pandemic. Wockhardt’s investment shows the strength of our trading ties with India which is a further boost to our already-strong vaccine supply as we build back stronger from coronavirus.”
Kwasi Kwarteng, Business Secretary said, “While the UK’s vaccination programme has been a national success story so far, we need to take steps to ensure we can manufacture vaccines into 2022 should we need to revaccinate or provide boosters to the population. By extending our contract with Wockhardt, we will ensure the UK has uninterrupted fill and finish capacity, guaranteeing we have sufficient supplies to protect the British public in the longterm.”
Dr Habil Khorakiwala, Founder Chairman of Wockhardt Group said, “We are happy to extend our collaboration with the UK Government to make vaccines available and the arrangement brings in a huge sense of purpose and pride, it upholds our ongoing global commitment to fight against an unprecedented pandemic.”
Dr Murtaza Khorakiwala, MD and Global CEO of Wockhardt said, “The extension of the arrangement with the UK Government for manufacturing vaccines for COVID-19 showcases our global strength in world-class sterile injectable facilities and confidence by the UK Government on our expertise and experience.”
Speaking about the contract Ravi Limaye, MD, Wockhardt UK said, “This extension by the UK Government displays our collaboration and commitment in the vital role that we have been playing in the fill-finish process for COVID-19 vaccines in UK.”