Aurobindo Pharma signs pact with Covaxx

Hyderabad: Aurobindo Pharma Ltd and Covaxx, a US-based company, have entered into an exclusive license agreement to develop, commercialise and manufacture UB-612, the first Multitope Peptide-based vaccine to fight Covid-19, for India and UNICEF.

According to a release issued by the city-based drug maker, Covaxx is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial for the vaccine candidate. Managing Director of Aurobindo Pharma Ltd, N Govindarajan, said, "We are proud to partner with Covaxx in developing the first-ever synthetic peptide-based vaccine to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. This vaccine has immense potential in eliminating shedding, and hence containing, the spread of the pandemic."

Under the signed agreement, Aurobindo Pharma has obtained the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and sell Covaxx's UB-612 vaccine in India and to UNICEF, as well as non-exclusive rights in other select emerging and developing markets, it said. Aurobindo Pharma and Covaxx are partnering on clinical development, manufacturing and marketing of the vaccine candidate. Aurobindo will manufacture the finished doses at its facilities in Hyderabad.

It has the capacity of manufacturing 220 million doses in multi-dose presentation and is building additional facilities to have a total capacity of nearly 480 million doses by June 2021. Mei Mei Hu, co-founder and CEO of Covaxx said his company is committed to providing an equitable distribution of UB-612 by prioritising emerging markets where there is the unmet need. "During this global health crisis response, we must establish partners with the strongest capabilities, like Aurobindo, to prioritize the development and the delivery of our vaccine.

As one of the leading industry players with a strong track record of execution and investment in vaccines, Aurobindo Pharma is the ideal partner to advance UB-612 in India and other emerging nations and to support our mission of democratizing health worldwide," Hu said.