17 August 2020 | News
Daiichi Sankyo will develop a supply system for DS-5670
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Daiichi Sankyo Company has announced that it was selected by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan to be a provider for the Japanese Government’s “Emergent Initiative to Build Production Capacity for COVID-19 Vaccines (First Round)” with respect to Daiichi Sankyo’s genetic (mRNA) vaccine (hereinafter, DS-5670) for the novel corona virus infection (hereinafter, COVID-19).
DS-5670 is a gene (mRNA) vaccine for COVID-19 using a novel nucleic acid delivery technology discovered by Daiichi Sankyo, and as one of the company’s top-priority projects, it is being prepared to enter clinical studies around March 2021.
Daiichi Sankyo will develop a supply system for DS-5670 at the plant of its subsidiary company, Daiichi Sankyo Biotech Co., Ltd., located in Kitamoto City, Saitama Prefecture, and aims to build a platform for production technology in Japan that can respond not only to COVID-19 but also to the need for future emerging and re-emerging infectious disease vaccines.
In addition to the aforementioned supply of DS-5670, Daiichi Sankyo will proactively continue efforts to establish prevention and treatment methods for COVID-19, which has become an urgent social need.
The Emergent initiative aims to swiftly develop an actual (large-scale) production system for biologics, including vaccines, in order to ensure that the vaccines necessary for the prevention of the spread and severity of unexpected epidemics, including COVID-19, are produced as soon as possible, and that their supply is secured for the Japanese people.