On Tuesday, Everest Medicines, a Hong Kong-listed Chinese biopharmaceutical firm, declared the official inauguration of its messenger RNA vaccine industrialization base in Jiashan, Zhejiang province. The company specializes in innovative medicines and the discovery, development, and commercialization of mRNA vaccines. It anticipates an annual production capacity of 700 million doses from the base.
The base spans across an area of nearly 57,000 square meters and boasts an investment scale of more than 900 million yuan ($130 million). It features a complete set of advanced production facilities and quality assurance systems. The base began trial production in December and has proven its capability for large-scale production of mRNA vaccines. Tests demonstrated that the manufacturing process and finished products met the expected parameters.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a surge in demand for related vaccines, mRNA technology has gained extensive attention and expedited research. It has demonstrated broad application potential and clinical value in preventing and treating deadly diseases, such as cancer and various contagions.
“We’ll continue to accelerate clinical trials of related products and strive to realize their commercialization as soon as possible to meet the urgent demand for advanced mRNA vaccines in Greater China, Asia, and the world,” Everest CEO Luo Yongqing said.
The company has developed a candidate COVID-19 vaccine, with clinical trials scheduled to commence in China this year. Additionally, it is exploring the potential of mRNA technology to develop new preventive and therapeutic vaccines for infectious diseases and tumors.