(Reuters) – The Biden administration is exploring every option for increasing production of the COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is under review of regulations, and said on Friday that currently expected early dose levels were lower than expected.
The White House invoked the Defense Production Act to help Pfizer Inc. increase production of COVID-19 vaccine and that “every option” was on the table to produce more Johnson & Johnson vaccine if authorized.
It will also use wartime powers to increase COVID-19 tests at home and make more surgical gloves in the United States, officials said in a press briefing on Friday.
“As with other vaccines, we haven’t found that the level of manufacturing allows us to have as many vaccines as we think we need to get out of the gate,” said Andy Slavitt, senior White House COVID-19 advisor. . the response team, referring to the J&J vaccine.
J&J applied for US emergency use on Thursday. He expects to have a certain vaccine ready for distribution as soon as it is authorized, but did not say how much.
Emergent Biosolutions CEO Robert Kramer said in an interview Friday that the company is currently manufacturing bulk drugs for J&J “on a large scale.” Emergent only produces the bulk vaccine, which is then filled into syringes or vials and packaged to be shipped by another contractor.
Kramer said they are on track to produce enough product for hundreds of millions of doses a year. It remains unclear what other supply bottlenecks may be. Kramer said his company has already benefited from the Trump Administration’s Defense Production Act, which has helped the company get to where it is ready to go.
Under the authority of the Defense Production Act, the government will give priority ratings to the two important components for Pfizer vaccine production – filling pumps and tangential flow filter units, officials said.
“I told you that when we hear about a blockage of the necessary equipment, supplies or technology related to the supply of vaccines, we will come to the rescue and do exactly that,” said Tim Manning, supply chain coordinator. for Answer COVID-19.
The government will also invoke powers under the Defense Production Act to increase COVID-19 tests at home with six anonymous producers, aiming to produce 61 million tests by the summer, Manning said.
It will also invoke its powers to increase the national supply of surgical gloves, which are manufactured almost exclusively abroad.
Manning said the government will build factories that manufacture raw materials for surgical gloves and will help build plants in the United States for glove manufacturing.
By the end of the year, he said, the United States will be able to produce one billion gloves a month.
Officials said that once the J&J vaccine is licensed, it would mean millions of extra doses will be available to states. The vaccine is unique, unlike the two-dose vaccines Pfizer and Moderna Inc. and can be stored in the refrigerator.
Officials hoped that the ease of administration of the J&J vaccine would mean that states would be able to immunize residents faster.
Reporting by Dania Nadeem, Rebecca Spalding and Julie Steenhuysen, edited by Peter Henderson, Steve Orlofsky and David Gregorio