Maintaining supply chain integrity is critical to COVID-19 vaccines roll-out

27 January, 2021

Manufacturing billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines for European citizens, including for people in Ireland, is a major challenge. Fluctuation in the supply of doses is frustrating – but it can be a feature of manufacturing complex biological products.

Industry scientists and experts are working hard to address the challenges, increasing the capacity of manufacturing facilities and fine-tuning processes to increase supply.

Global medicines supply chains must be protected. Our industry has no objection to transparency on vaccines exports – but the EU’s proposed notification process must not disrupt supply efforts.

Discovering, developing, authorising and supplying COVID-19 vaccines just 12 months on from the first discovery of the virus is a major achievement. It took collaborative effort across science, manufacturing and logistics, with our industry working closely with the EU institutions, governments, health systems and regulators.

Over seven million doses have been delivered to the EU since the first COVID-19 vaccine approval by the European Medicines Agency just over a month ago.

No effort is being spared in the battle to beat the pandemic. We will get there. That’s why we #InnovateForLife.