China Prepares to Produce AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine

China-based Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. Ltd. announced on February 2, 2021, that it had built a production workshop for the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, formerly known as AZD1222.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine candidate is made from a virus (ChAdOx1), a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus). Genetic material has been added to the ChAdOx1 construct, which is used to make proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus called Spike glycoprotein.

The facility, with a floor area of 2,200 square meters, has an annual production capacity of 400 million doses, reported Xinhua. The Shenzhen drugmaker signed a deal with AstraZeneca in August 2020 to introduce the latter's COVID-19 vaccine into China, for which it is seeking clinical registration.