- HALIX to provide large-scale GMP manufacture of AZD1222

HALIX B.V. signed an agreement with AstraZeneca AB for large-scale commercial drug substance manufacture of AZD1222, the adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine.

Under the agreement, HALIX will provide commercial manufacturing of drug substance at its state-of-the-art cGMP facility at the Leiden Bio Science Park in the Netherlands. To meet the increased demand, HALIX expands with two additional viral vector production lines.

With this agreement, HALIX continues its key role as one of the original partners in the University of Oxford’s consortium for the manufacture of AZD1222. The vaccine was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company Vaccitech.

Alex Huybens, Chief Operations Officer, states, “Building on the solid foundations made with the University of Oxford, it’s our pleasure to expand our manufacturing support of AZD1222 with AstraZeneca. Through the consortium, the partners are bringing their collective expertise and manufacturing capabilities to support vaccine production and combat this evolving crisis.”

HALIX has an established technical and quality track record for the development and GMP manufacture of viral vectors used in immuno-oncology and to vaccinate against infectious diseases, such as HIV, ZIKA, Chikungunya and the Influenza. The 6,700 m² BSL2 GMP facility, recently approved by the Dutch authorities and located on the Leiden Bio Science Park in the Netherlands, provides both clinical and commercial scale manufacturing capabilities in fully independent, self-contained Grade B and C cleanrooms for virus products.

Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent investment and advisory company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies. With the guiding principle «execution – following the rules of art», the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company’s actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries.