According to Nikkei Chinese News, Daiichi Sankyo will establish a system capable of producing 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine annually by the fiscal year 2024. This is the first factory in Japan to develop and apply for approval of an "mRNA" vaccine by a domestic company. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has begun discussions on regular vaccination.
The COVID-19 vaccine will be produced at a plant operated by the subsidiary, Daiichi Sankyo Biotech. Part of an existing vaccine factory has been renovated, and equipment for producing materials that encapsulate the mRNA active pharmaceutical ingredients and transport key components within the body has been introduced. In January 2023, Daiichi Sankyo applied for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine under development. The company will gradually increase maximum production capacity and, with subsidies from the Japanese government, further construct facilities for mRNA vaccine production at the plant by the fiscal year 2027.
In other pharmaceutical companies, Shionogi and KM Biologics are also developing Chinese-produced vaccines using methods different from mRNA. The combined maximum supply capacity of the three major companies in China exceeds 100 million doses.