UAE’s Julphar to start producing Covid-19 vaccines in April 2021

UAE-based Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar), based in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, will start the commercial production of Covid-19 vaccines in April 2021.

In a statement submitted to Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the company confirmed that it has entered into an agreement with G42 Medication Trading to produce the vaccines from China’s Sinopharm.

“The company entered into a contract manufacturing agreement with G42 Medications Trading LLC for the production of Covid-19 vaccines from Sinopharm and is expected to start commercial production in April 2021,” the statement read.

The UAE launched a new project on Sunday, March 28, to begin manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine within the country. The “Life Sciences and Vaccine Manufacturing in the UAE” is a joint project by the UAE’s Group 42 and China’s Sinopharm CNBG.

The new vaccine plant in KIZAD will become operational this year and over its phased development will have a production capacity of 200 million doses per annum across three filling lines and five automated packaging lines. The JV with Julphar is already producing Hayat-Vax in the UAE with an initial capacity of 2 million doses per month.

Read: UAE to begin manufacturing ‘Hayat-Vax’ Covid-19 vaccine

Hayat-Vax is the first Covid-19 vaccine production line in the UAE and comes shortly after Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi stated that China and the UAE would collaborate on an affordable vaccine that would be made available to countries that need it especially within the Middle East and Africa.

Read: China, UAE to expedite production of affordable Covid-19 vaccines

The first vaccine approved for emergency use within the UAE was the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine. The UAE became was the first country in the world to approve the vaccine on December 9, 2020 after initiating its trial in the country on June 23, 2020.

The UAE reported a total of 1,874 Covid-19 cases on March 29, raising the overall case count to 457,071.