US-based startup Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. has announced an agreement with Vinbiocare Biotechnology Joint Stock Company (Vinbiocare), a member of Vingroup Joint Stock Company, regarding a collaboration to establish a manufacturing facility in Vietnam for the manufacture of Arcturus’ investigational COVID-19 vaccines, for sale and use within Vietnam.

Under the terms of the arrangement, Vinbiocare will, with consultation from Arcturus, build out a manufacturing facility in Vietnam, and Arcturus will provide to Vinbiocare access to proprietary technologies and processes for the manufacture of Arcturus’ investigational COVID-19 vaccines. Arcturus will provide Vinbiocare with an exclusive license to manufacture the vaccines in Vietnam at the facility solely for distribution in Vietnam.

The license and technology transfer applies toward drug product manufacturing but not toward mRNA drug substance manufacturing. Technology transfer is underway.

Vinbiocare will make an upfront payment of $40 million and be responsible for costs associated with the technology transfer. Vinbiocare will also pay for mRNA drug substance supplied by Arcturus and royalties on vaccines produced at the Facility.

Arcturus investigational COVID-19 vaccines utilize Arcturus’ self-transcribing and replicating (STARR™) mRNA technology, and the STARR™ mRNA is delivered with Arcturus’s lipid-mediated delivery system called LUNAR® delivery system.