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 The discussion follows a flurry of supply deals signed by the
British drug maker for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine as it ramps
up efforts for wider trials of the potential treatment.
Daiichi Sankyo said in a statement on Friday that one of its
subsidiaries would receive undiluted solution of the vaccine and
then carry out formulation procedures, packaging, and storage in
Japan. AstraZeneca said separately that it is in talks with the
Japanese government on supplies of the potential vaccine, known as
AZD1222.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said earlier on Friday that
the government is supporting domestic vaccine development but is
also in negotiations with other parties.
"In any event, the government will work hard to ensure that Japan
has the vaccines it needs," Suga said.
In Japan, AnGes Inc and Osaka University are working on a DNA
vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Shionogi & Co is working on a
recombinant protein type, while the University of Tokyo and Daiichi
Sankyo are developing an mRNA version.
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AstraZeneca has doubled manufacturing and supply capacity for its potential
vaccine to over 2 billion doses.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the illness caused by
the new coronavirus, but about a dozen vaccines from more than 100 candidates
globally are being tested in humans.
(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Kirsten Donovan)
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