According to the biopharmaceutical industry on the 2nd, at the end of August, the non-profit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced that it had completed the first inoculation of the Phase 1 clinical trial of the Lhasa fever vaccine in Liberia, Africa.
| ▲ CJ CheilJedang’s CDMO Batavia is cooperating with international organizations to produce a Lhasa fever vaccine. A participant in the Lhasa fever vaccine clinical trial in Liberia is receiving the vaccine. |
The Lhasa fever vaccine candidate is made at a production facility in Batavia, Leiden, Netherlands. IAVI previously signed a partnership with Batavia in March 2020 to produce vaccines against various infectious diseases.
“Batavia is focused on providing sustainable and affordable manufacturing solutions in the field of infectious diseases and cancer,” IAVI said. .
Lhasa fever is a disease caused by infection with the Lhasa virus and is mainly transmitted through rodent feces or body fluids of patients. Initially, it causes fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea, and when it progresses to severe symptoms, symptoms such as dyspnea, hypotension, and multiple organ failure appear. It is known to occur mainly in West Africa.
Currently, there is no vaccine that can prevent Lhasa fever. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 300,000 and 500,000 cases of Lhasa fever are reported each year and about 5,000 people die.
IAVI is developing a vaccine for Lhasa fever in cooperation with the International Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). CEPI provides up to $61.7 million in Phase 1 and Phase 2 vaccine trials.
Batavia is a CDMO company for cell gene therapy, and has the capability to develop the manufacturing process of virus vaccines and vectors. Last year, CJ CheilJedang acquired a 76% stake in Batavia for 236 billion won.
Batavia has mainly produced clinical drugs, but in the future, it has decided to expand its CDMO service to include commercial production. To this end, it recently unveiled a plan to build a new 12,000 m2 manufacturing facility in Leiden by the third quarter of 2024. Reporter Lim Han-sol