Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC): Sinovac begins construction of a vaccine plant in Chile
Once installed and completed during the first half of 2023, the Sinovac Biotech Chile plant is expected to become a benchmark for the distribution of vaccines for the country and the rest of Latin America, for diseases such as covid-19, influenza and hepatitis A. .
With the presence of government authorities, parliamentarians, businessmen, members of the scientific world and academia, Sinovac Biotech Chile officially began the construction of its vaccine packaging and finishing plant in the Quilicura district , north of the Metropolitan Region. .
This is the first Sinovac plant in Latin America, which includes an investment of US$100 million and will have the capacity to produce up to 50 million doses per year for diseases such as covid-19, influenza, hepatitis A and others in the world. future , which can be distributed more quickly, both in Chile and the rest of the region.
On the 22,000 square meter plot, there is already a building which will be remodeled and adapted to house the 11,000 m² built complex, which will have a sterile filling line, a finishing and packaging section, quality control stations and warehouses conditioned to store the vaccines between 2º to 8º C. All this, following the regulatory requirements of Chile and the world, thus guaranteeing the highest standards of good manufacturing practices.
At the presentation event, the beginnings of construction were shown and also revealed images of what it will look like in its final stages.
The semi-finished product with the inactivated virus will arrive from the Tianfu plant in China, which complies with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and was audited by the WHO (World Health Organization ). From the Santiago airport it will be transferred to Quilicura for the final stage of the manufacturing process, where it will be packaged in a sterile manner, packed, and its quality certified before being distributed in the country.
The fruit of joint work
Virginia Garretón, Vice President of Corporate Affairs of Sinovac Biotech Chile, explained that “Sinovac Biotech Chile is installed in our country with three main objectives: to contribute to the public health of Chile and other countries in the region, making available vaccines to combat diseases relevant; encourage public-private academic work to encourage and promote local R&D; and train professionals to perform in the manufacture of vaccines with the highest global quality standards (GMP)”.
In the future, Sinovac Chile hopes to continue incorporating new vaccines to support the health requirements of Chile and Latin America, in order to continue protecting lives and the health of all people.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation , Flavio Salazar, emphasized the great progress that this milestone represents. “ This Sinovac project reintroduces our country to the vaccine production process, which is tremendously relevant. This and other projects that exist in the country will generate new capacities that will take Chile to another level and will allow, on the one hand, greater protection and security for the population by having vaccines in emergency phases and, on the other, developing a research, knowledge and technologies to advance the development of Chile” , he said.
The start-up of this Sinovac plant had the support of InvestChile from the Ministry of Economy , the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation , the Ministry of Health and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile .
Along these lines, the UC Vice-Rector for Research, Pedro Bouchon, highlighted the commitment of the academy in the midst of this great global health crisis. “The construction of this Sinovac plant is the realization of a dream not only of the national manufacture of vaccines, but of the development of current Chilean science, technology and innovation, which also allows us to project ourselves to face the challenges that will surely befall us. will present. In addition, it is the demonstration that when the university, the state and private companies work together for a common goal, they can only bring benefits to society” , said the vice-chancellor.
For his part, Heriberto García, director(s) of the Public Health Institute expressed hope that this plant will revitalize an activity that had been inactive in Chile since 2005, when the country stopped producing vaccines. “We hope that Chile will once again be a leading actor in the field of vaccines in the southern cone . ” In turn, the director explained that “as ISP we will work actively to analyze and approve every detail of the design of these facilities, whose characteristics must be adjusted to the conditions of the place, according to the requirements that we demand as a regulator” .