UK Government Announces Covid-19 Vaccination Contract Extension with Wockhardt
Wockhardt, the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology major today announced that it has been awarded a six-month extension of its agreement with the UK Government to fill-finish COVID-19 vaccines. This expands the original agreement from 18 to 24 months i.e., until August 2022 and the manufacturing will continue to be undertaken at CP Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Wockhardt based in Wrexham, North Wales.
UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, on her visit to Mumbai as part of a drive to improve business links between UK and India announced the extension, said, “This is a brilliant bit of news for the UK and people of Wrexham. It brings important investment to the local area, bringing jobs and security to the community as we battle this awful pandemic.
“Wockhardt’s investment shows the strength of our trading ties with India which is a further boost to our already-strong vaccine supply as we build back stronger from coronavirus.”
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “While the UK’s vaccination programme has been a national success story so far, we need to take steps to ensure we can manufacture vaccines into 2022 should we need to revaccinate or provide boosters to the population.
“By extending our contract with Wockhardt, we will ensure the UK has uninterrupted fill and finish capacity, guaranteeing we have sufficient supplies to protect the British public in the long-term.”
Dr. Habil Khorakiwala, Founder Chairman of Wockhardt Group emphasised, “We are happy to extend our collaboration with the UK Government to make vaccines available and the arrangement brings in a huge sense of purpose and pride, it upholds our ongoing global commitment to fight against an unprecedented pandemic.”
Dr. Murtaza Khorakiwala, Managing Director and Global CEO of Wockhardt adds, “The extension of the arrangement with the UK Government for manufacturing vaccines for COVID-19 showcases our global strength in world-class sterile injectable facilities and confidence by the UK Government on our expertise and experience.”
Speaking about the contract Ravi Limaye, Managing Director, Wockhardt UK said, “This extension by the UK Government displays our collaboration and commitment in the vital role that we have been playing in the fill-finish process for COVID-19 vaccines in UK.”
Wockhardt, a global pharmaceutical and biotech organisation, brings in affordable, high quality medicines to market. In the UK, Wockhardt is one of the largest suppliers into the NHS for over 20 years, has had a presence in Wrexham for over two decades and employs over 400 people at its 612,000 square feet high-tech manufacturing facility.
About Wockhardt:
Wockhardt is a research based Global Pharmaceutical and Biotech company. Wockhardt’s New Drug Discovery programme has focussed on unmet need of Anti-bacterial drugs that are effective against the menace of untreatable superbugs. Wockhardt is the only company in the world where USFDA has given QIDP Status (Qualified Infectious Diseases Programme) for 6 of our Anti-bacterial discovery programmes – 3 of them are Gram Negative and 3 Gram Positive effective against untreatable “Superbugs”. It has a comprehensive Drug Discovery team and clinical organisation.
Wockhardt is employing over 5000 people and 27 nationalities with presence in USA, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Mexico, Russia and many other countries. It has manufacturing and research facilities in India, USA & UK and a manufacturing facility in Ireland. Wockhardt has a significant presence in USA, Europe and India, with 83% of its global revenues coming from international businesses.
Wockhardt UK specialises in the supply of generic and speciality medicines and is one of the leading suppliers to the NHS. They have a portfolio of over 250 product lines which are available in a wide range of preparations, including tablets, capsules, injections and liquid medicines.
The UK manufacturing site based in Wrexham, North Wales manufactures a number of sterile injectable products covering a wide range of therapy areas including diabetes, anticoagulation and pain management. The products are available in many forms such as vials, cartridges and ampoules including lyophilised (dry powder) products. In addition to their own Wockhardt branded products, they also provide contract manufacturing services for companies all around the world.
