Takeda and Novavax Team Up for COVID-19 Vaccine Development in Japan

Takeda and Novavax announced on August 7, 2020 that they are partnering on the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of NVX‑CoV2373, Novavax’s COVID‑19 vaccine candidate, in Japan.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will collaborate on the manufacturing, clinical development, and regulatory activities in Japan. Novavax will license and transfer manufacturing technologies to Takeda to manufacture the vaccine antigen, while Takeda will handle the regulatory submission to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) and will produce and distribute the vaccine in Japan, a Novavax press release said. Over 250 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be manufactured per year through the collaboration.

“Takeda’s leading position in Japan, technical expertise, regulatory know-how, and manufacturing capacity make the company an ideal partner to further expand the global availability of NVX‑CoV2373,” said Stanley C. Erck, president and CEO of Novavax, in the press release. “We look forward to collaborating with Takeda to rapidly develop, produce, and commercialize the vaccine in Japan.”

“Nothing is more important right now than protecting the world against COVID-19. We are excited to collaborate with Novavax to bring their promising vaccine candidate to Japan,” said Rajeev Venkayya, MD, president of the Global Vaccine Business Unit, Takeda, in the press release. “Today’s announcement builds upon our ongoing support of pandemic preparedness and demonstrates Takeda’s commitment to the health and well-being of the Japanese population.”

Source: Novavax