PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES A&M FACILITY COULD MASS PRODUCE A COVID-19 VACCINE

  

Texas A&M could play a vital role in battle against COVID-19.

President Trump announced during a coronavirus briefing Monday afternoon that the Fujifilm Texas A&M Innovation Center has been reserved for the mass production of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Operation Warp Speed, is designed to begin delivering millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year—if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determines candidates are safe and effective.

Monday, the President announced that the Department of Health and Human Services signed a $265 million contract with the Fujifilm Texas A&M Innovation Center, to dramatically expand their vaccine manufacturing capacity.

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Texas, owns and operates three facilities as a Texas A&M system subcontractor. One of the facilities will be used to to manufacture the COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

FUJIFILM Texas’ Chief Operating Officer Gerry Farrell said they are making way for phase three of the clinical trial in North Carolina to be completed by the end of the year.  Farrell says by early 2021, he expects the facility in College Station to be mass manufacturing the vaccine.