July 10, 2020
Sypharma Partners with Vaxine — COVAX-19 Vaccine Candidate Enters Phase 1 Human Trials
- Merck supports Vaxine’s production of Advax, through its manufacturing partner Sypharma, with process development expertise and services
- Sypharma to fill and finish COVAX-19 vaccine candidate and manufacture AdVax Adjuvant for Covid-19
Melbourne, Australia, July 10, 2020 – Sypharma, an Australian biopharmaceutical formulation company, today announced manufacturing of COVAX-19 and Advax adjuvant for Covid-19 in partnership with Vaxine, an Australian biotechnology company focusing on development of innovative vaccine technologies.
Sypharma has partnered with Vaxine for more than a decade to manufacture Advax adjuvants. This is the first Australian-developed Covid-19 vaccine candidate to reach human trials. In this partnership, Sypharma performed the fill and finish of Vaxine’s Covid-19 recombinant spike protein vaccine and manufacture the Advax adjuvant products. Merck is supporting production of this vaccine by providing process development expertise and services.
“To bring these products to market at unprecedented speed, it calls for a strong support within the ecosystem,” said Ganeshan Varnakulasingham, Business Strategy and Innovations manager at Sypharma. “Merck has a long-standing relationship with Sypharma and Vaxine for more than 10 years, supporting the manufacture of Advax adjuvants with manufacturing solutions, single-use, filtration products and process development expertise.”
“Merck in Australia will support Australian biopharmaceutical and manufacturing customers such as Vaxine and Sypharma in solving their toughest problems,” said Rebecca Lee, managing director at the Life Science business of Merck in Australia. “We look forward to playing a part in this significant milestone and in helping to take this vaccine candidate to clinical trials.”
About Sypharma
Sypharma is an independent Australian owned company, based in Melbourne’s eastern suburb of Dandenong, Victoria. Established in 2005, we specialise in biopharmaceutical formulation, large and small volume parenteral (filled aseptically as well as terminally sterilised). We have a non-sterile manufacturing suite which offers powder, liquid and cream filling lines.
We operate to the strictest international codes of Good Manufacturing Practice, and products can be manufactured, packaged and supplied in a variety of forms and pack sizes, or supplied in bulk. We pride ourselves on product development and our continuing application of the Code of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Our goods are produced under license of the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration), FDA, ISO13485 and the APVMA (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority).
About Vaxine
Vaxine was incorporated in 2002 as an Australian biotechnology company focussing on development of innovative vaccine technologies, with its lead product being its Advax delta inulin adjuvant. Supported by funding contracts from the National Institutes of Health Vaxine has developed a broad range of vaccines, all utilizing its Advaxadjuvant technology for enhanced immunogenicity and protection. Vaxine’s human candidates include vaccines against seasonal and pandemic influenza, Covid-19, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile Virus, malaria, rabies, and allergy. Vaxine also has a veterinary division that is commercialising vaccine adjuvants tailored to specific animal health problems.
