IDT Biologika And Takeda Support Production Of The Johnson & Johnson Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine

Takeda provides booked capacity at the IDT site in Dessau

Dessau, Germany – IDT Biologika is now using capacities at its Dessau site previously reserved for Takeda Pharmaceutical Company's dengue vaccine candidate to fill and package the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. IDT and Takeda announced an agreement to this end today. The vaccine is manufactured in Dessau for worldwide distribution.

After three months, this capacity will resume production of the TAK-003 dengue vaccine, which is crucial to its planned launch. Regulatory approval of this vaccine is pending.

"I am grateful to our long-standing customer Takeda for its flexibility, which enables us to provide the world with much-needed COVID-19 vaccines," says Jürgen Betzing, CEO of IDT Biologika. "In recent months, it has become clear that the challenges of the pandemic can only be solved through cooperation and commitment. "

Betzing continues "This short-term agreement between three pharmaceutical companies demonstrates the willingness and ability of our industry to bring in creative ideas to solve this crisis. With our production for Janssen and AstraZeneca as well as the development of our own COVID-19 vaccine together with the German Center for Vaccine Research, our company can make an important contribution to the fight against COVID-19."

Rajeev Venkayya, President of Takeda's Global Vaccine Division, says: “We are pleased to work with IDT to support Janssen’s efforts to make its COVID-19 vaccine available and accessible to as much of the world as possible. We also recognize the massive unmet need for a dengue vaccine and will work closely with IDT to mitigate the impact on the supply of TAK-003."

Press contact:

Ulrich Gartner
Gartner Communications 
Tel +49 171 56 57 953 
ulrich.gartner@gartnercommunications.com

About IDT Biologika

IDT Biologika – an innovative biotech company with a successful history dating back nearly 100 years. On the basis of modern technologies and high levels of expertise we support customers in the development and manufacture of innovative virus vaccines, gene and immune therapy products as well as biologics employed worldwide as protection against diseases.

German sites are the BioPharmaPark in Dessau-Roßlau and Magdeburg. In the US the IDT Corporation has a manufacturing site for clinical test samples in Rockville, Maryland.

IDT Biologika is a company of the Klocke Group. This specializes in the contract manufacture and packaging of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and cosmetic products. As a traditional, family-run company, the Klocke Group employs over 2,000 people at six production sites worldwide.

Further information can be found on the website of IDT Biologika at http://www.idt-biologika.com.