Vietnam signs COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer contracts with US, Japan, and Russia

July 27, 2021 | 19:52

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The Agency of Science, Technology and Training under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MoH) on July 27 announced that three contracts on COVID-19 vaccine production technology transfer with Russia, the US, and Japan have been signed, paving the way for the country to increase vaccine supply.

Vietnam signs COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer contracts with US, Japan, and Russia

Vietnam will receive the technology to produce Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine from Russia

According to Nguyen Ngo Quang, deputy head of the agency, Vabiotech and Advanced International JSC (AIC) and Japan’s Shionogi signed an agreement on COVID-19 vaccine production.

The vaccine technology to be transferred is Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein (BaculovirusExpression Vector System). Currently, the sides signed the non-disclosure agreement to access documents on the vaccine and the underlying technology.

Earlier on May 7, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long issued Decision No.2301/QD-BYT on the establishment of a steering committee for COVID-19 vaccine research and production technology transfer.

For the technology transfer between AIC and Shionogi, the MoH signed the cooperation agreement and is preparing to carry out the third phase of clinical trials in Vietnam and completing the procedures for technology transfer. As planned, in June 2022, all the necessary works will be completed and the vaccine will be available in the market.

For the technology transfer between DS-Bio, Vabiotech and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the sides have signed an agreement on Sputnik-V production.

Vabiotech has sent the validation samples from the first batch it has produced to the Gamaleya Center for quality control. The results are expected to be out on August 10. If qualified, mass production can start with five million doses a month, with 500,000 doses planned in August.

For the COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer with the US, the MoH sent a team of experts working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to support relevant units to complete documents on clinical trial – phases 1, 2, 3. As planned, the research will start in early August and be completed in December.

The technology transfer and the COVID-19 vaccine production plant in Vietnam will be completed in June 2022.