Exclusive: Drugmakers are warning of a potential shortage of vials to bottle future COVID-19 vaccines, but their rush to secure supplies risks making matters worse
FILE PHOTO: Small bottles labeled with a"Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe are seen in this illustration taken taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
With thousands dying from COVID-19 every day and attempts to contain the virus plunging the world into recession, drugmakers and healthcare groups including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and the GAVI vaccines alliance are pushing to mass produce vaccines even before they are shown to work in trials. Heinricht said Schott had turned down requests from major vaccine developers for future delivery of 800 million to 1 billion glass vials, which typically hold 5-10 doses, because the company believed it was too early to make such a commitment.
He sought to allay concerns over shortages, saying SGD expected an additional pandemic demand for vials of no more than 3% of underlying annual volumes. Schott, whose founder Otto Schott invented heavy-duty borosilicate glass in the 1890s, also said it was pulling out all the stops for its part in supplying a billion multi-dose vials which it says will be needed for a global immunisation drive, potentially next year.
Corning this week won $204 million in U.S. government funding to boost output of its vials for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. That came a day after the U.S. government awarded $143 million to SiO2 Materials Science to boost production of its vials and syringes.
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