AGC Biologics Supports Omicron-based Vaccine Candidate Manufacturing

AGC Biologics, a global biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), is expanding its partnership to supply more plasmid DNA (pDNA) starting material for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the company’s Heidelberg facility.

According to a recent news release from Pfizer and BioNTech, the companies have started to develop an Omicron-based COVID-19 vaccine with first batches expected to be ready for delivery by end of March 2022.

“We are proud to continue to support BioNTech and supply them with pDNA materials for their vaccine production, as a part of the fight against new pandemic variants,” said Patricio Massera, CEO, AGC Biologics. “Our pDNA services are a part of our growing global Cell and Gene Therapy offering that includes the development and manufacturing of cell therapies, viral vectors, and messenger RNA.”

The AGC Biologics Heidelberg facility has more than 20 years of experience delivering a wide range of programs for customers. The site is the company’s Center of Excellence for pDNA production, and a central part of the AGC Biologics global network of cell and gene therapy-focused facilities, with additional locations in Milan, Italy and Longmont, Colorado.