Spain's Reig Jofre new plant to produce J&J vaccine by end-Q2

[April 29, 2021]  MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish pharmaceutical Reig Jofre said on Thursday that its new plant in Barcelona will start producing the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. company Johnson & Johnson by the end of the second quarter.

The plant, which will allow the company to triple its current capacity to manufacture sterile products this year, will reach full capacity later this year, Reig Jofre said in a statement.

The company will be able to produce as many as 250 million doses, it said.

Along with the COVID-19 vaccine, it will manufacture other products.

Reig Jofre agreed with Johnson & Johnson last year to produce doses of the vaccine and initially said the plant would start operating in the first quarter of 2021.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; editing Inti Landauro and Jason Neely)

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