CEPI reaches agreement with vial manufacturer for COVID-19 vaccines

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, signed an agreement with Stevanato Group to supply glass vials to hold vaccine for the COVID-19 virus once it is developed.

Stevanato, based in Italy, will supply 100 million Type 1 Borosilicate glass vials to hold up to 2 billion doses of a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus.

Once a successful vaccine candidate moves into the manufacturing phase, a worldwide supply of medical-grade glass vials to deliver the billions of doses of vaccines is needed to fight the virus. Without these medical glass vials, vaccines cannot be stored or delivered, and patients cannot be vaccinated.

Stevanato Group’s high-quality glass vials will be able to store 20 doses per vial (2 billion doses in total). Further, the company will also grant a “fast track” access to its glass-vial-forming lines provided by its company Spami.

This is part of CEPI’s efforts to speed up the vaccine development timeline by making progress on manufacturing in parallel with the clinical development of COVID-19 candidate vaccines. CEPI, a global partnership, is at the forefront of funding and coordinating the development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates. CEPI has invested up to $829 million in nine COVID-19 vaccine candidates to develop a successful vaccine in an accelerated 12-18-month timeframe.

“In addition to accelerating the development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, CEPI is working with partners around the world to begin the manufacture of millions of vaccine doses so that, should a candidate be proven to be safe and effective, it will be available to those in need without delay,” CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said.