Manufacturing Vaccines During COVID-19: CMOs/CDMOs To The Rescue

By Mahesh Bhalgat, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, and Satish Jumar Manjunatha, Assistant General Manager, Syngene International Ltd.

The Healthcare sector was never in greater focus than in 2020. With the pandemic continuing unabated, the world looked to Science and the scientific community for deliverance. And Science did not disappoint. In less than a year of the pandemic, thanks to concerted global efforts, more than 150 vaccine candidates became available as a possible cure for COVID-19.

While 2020 was all about discovering a vaccine, 2021 is going to be about how to take the vaccines to market in the shortest possible time. With more than 2.6 million deaths worldwide (figures as of 9 March, 2021) and counting, the need for speed cannot be underscored.

However, to decipher the manufacturing challenge, one needs to understand what goes behind producing a vaccine — raw materials, technology, and a complex manufacturing process. And finally, how and why Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs)/Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) are better positioned to bridge the gap between vaccine demand and supply, safely and at speed.