Japan plans to produce vaccines domestically

On May 10, Japanese drug manufacturer Shionogi announced that it plans to supply a Covid-19 vaccine this year, if necessary conditions are met.
Accordingly, this will be the first domestically produced vaccine to help Japan prevent SARS-CoV-2 virus. Currently, with the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and other manufacturers already in use around the world, it is important to ensure enough participants for the trials. Large-scale clinical practice is becoming a barrier for latecomers like Shionogi.

Japan plans to produce the vaccine domestically. Illustration: CNN Shionogi is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare about a framework that would allow the efficacy and safety of vaccines to be assessed even with small-scale trials. This manufacturer hopes to contribute to the early prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic by focusing on investment and management of resources. In addition, the company has also completed a production line capable of supplying 10 million people a year with vaccines and plans to increase capacity further. Regarding Moderna’s vaccine approval process, on May 10, the pharmaceutical company Takeda said that clinical trials have confirmed that Moderna’s vaccine has helped increase antibodies in vaccinated people. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will evaluate and make a decision on whether to give the vaccine a “green light” as early as May 20.