Japan transfers COVID-19 vaccine tech to Vietnam

A Japanese drug maker has signed a deal on COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer with two Vietnamese companies, according to Dr. Nguyen Ngo Quang, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and Training.

A production line of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnam.

The agreement was penned by Shionogi of Japan and the International Progress Joint Stock Company (AIC) and the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (VABITOECH), Dr. Quang said on July 27.

The impending transfer of relevant vaccine technology is the Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein (BaculovirusExpression Vector System), said the official, disclosing no further information.

Earlier, VABIOTECH and DS-Bio, a Vietnamese Vaccines and Biological Products Joint Stock Company, had signed an agreement with Russia's sovereign wealth fund Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to manufacture glass vials and package the Sputnik V vaccine in Vietnam. Thousands of the vaccine samples have been sent to Russia to undergo evaluation and quality assessment.

The United States had also agreedto transfer the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology to VinGroup, the largest Vietnamese conglomerate, in May.

As of 4 p.m. on July 27, more than 4.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide.

The Ministry of Health is accelerating the COVID-19 vaccination drive in order to inoculate 70% of the Vietnamese population and reach herd immunity by early next year.