Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announces significant improvements in production efficiencies. The company expects to almost double the vaccine production for coronavirus by shortening the cycle to 60 days from the current 110 days.
Enhances output
Pfizer’s ramp-up of vaccine production will help to overcome the bottlenecks and provide more vaccines to the people across the nation to get protection from the deadly coronavirus. Vice President (operations for sterile injectables) of Pfizer, Chaz Calitri, who heads the Kalamazoo, Michigan plant, said it is called Project Light Speed and enhanced the output in January 2021.
Mitigates vaccine shortage
President (IP (Immunization Policy) and Knowledge Translation of vaccine production consulting company), Robert Van Exan said the increase in production is well planned by Pfizer to mitigate vaccine shortage in the nation. He further said no other company can produce vaccines at this rate.
Vaccine production at three plants
Pfizer produces vaccines at its three plants namely Andover, Massachusetts; Chesterfield, Missouri; and Kalamazoo, Michigan to meet the growing demand and boost its bottom line. The company supplied 20.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for administration across the nation.
According to Calitri, the engineers at Pfizer worked at lightning speed to scale up vaccine production, unlike other companies that take years to develop and commercialize. The first process of vaccine took 16 days and gradually lowered to 9 days. Despite increasing the output, the company is complying with FDA regulations. It uses the best manufacturing practices and ensures accelerated testing and quality control in vaccine production.
Pfizer also adds additional lines at its three plants to further ramp up the production of the vaccine. Its plant based in Kalamazoo plays a vital role in enhancing the production. The company already delivered around 60 million doses of the vaccine after starting the production in March 2020.
Pfizer vaccine works against mutated coronavirus
According to a study conducted by Pfizer, its vaccine works against even the mutated coronavirus, which is discovered at first in South Africa and the UK.
In the US, coronavirus variants surged by 73% in the past week with Florida recording the most cases. According to the latest reports, 944 cases of new variants are reported in the US that can spread faster and easily.
