JNJ, Aspen Sign Term Sheet to Manufacture Covid Vaccine in Africa

JNJ, Aspen Sign Term Sheet to Manufacture Covid Vaccine in Africa

Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceutical have signed a non-binding term sheet with Aspen Pharmacare for the production and sale of COVID-19 vaccine in Africa, Aspen said Tuesday.

The term sheet will form the basis for negotiation of a definitive agreement, which would grant Aspen rights to manufacture finished COVID-19 vaccine product from drug substances supplied by Johnson & Johnson.

It would also allow Aspen to sell the finished form vaccine under its own brand name, which is expected to be Aspenovax, the company said. The term of the grant of rights and supply of drug substances would be until Dec. 31, 2026, Aspen said.

MarketForces Africa reported that Aspen was in talks with Johnson & Johnson about a licence that would mean Africa’s biggest drugmaker could make its own-branded Covid-19 vaccine.

The discussions are underway as the African Union and European Union look to bolster the supply of coronavirus doses to the continent and could extend an existing agreement for Aspen to package and fill vials of the US company’s vaccine at a plant in South Africa.

Aspen has the capacity to manufacture as many as 300 million doses of the J&J shot and plans to increase that over time to more than 700 million by January 2023.

African nations trail more developed countries on coronavirus inoculations, raising the risk of the emergence of dangerous new variants.

A licence would enable Aspen to decide on the recipient of the doses it produces, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Saad said in an interview. JNJ, Aspen Sign Term Sheet to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa. JNJ, Aspen Sign Term Sheet to Manufacture Covid Vaccine in Africa

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