Ardena increases manufacturing capabilities to meet Covid vaccine demand

Specialist pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Ardena is expanding one of its manufacturing sites in Sweden in order to satisfy demand for Covid-19 vaccines.

Ardena will be expanding its capacity for its purification and fractionation of GMP manufacturing at its site in Södertälje, Sweden. The expansion comes as Ardena prepares to match the demand expected from Novavax for production of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine.

The expansion comes following the conditional marketing authorisation of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid from the European Medicines Agency in people from 18 years of age.

Ardena has worked with Novavax for 15 years on the development of the fractionation process for their proprietary Matrix-M adjuvant, a key component of the vaccine.

Only the fifth vaccine approved in Europe, Nuvaxovid is a recombinant protein-based vaccine co-formulated with Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance an immune response. The site expansion plan includes additional chromatography, tangential flow filtration and lyophilisation capabilities. 

Speaking of the plans Harry Christiaens, Ardena CEO, said: “This announcement will significantly enhance our ability to help Novavax deliver more vaccines. It makes me proud that our company is part of the continuing innovation and multiple partnerships going on worldwide to tackle Covid-19.”