COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Columbia pharmaceutical company continues to work and prepare for their involvement with COVID-19 vaccine production.
Ritedose will not be making the vaccine, but they will be filling the vaccine in a syringe like product. According to their company, if their final steps go as planned, they could potential manufacture millions of doses per month.
"I liken it to this, we have ran a marathon so far at a sprinters pace, so we have ran extremely fast to get the facility capable, now that the facility is capable we’re down to the final mile," The Ritedose Corpoation CEO Jody Chastain said.
Chastain said they are in their final steps to be involved in the production of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"For us, the next two to three months is critical and working with the vaccine partners to prove that this is a compatible process with the vaccine," Chastain said.
Ritedose will be producing what the vaccine would go in, to be administered.
"We’re basically forming and filling the vaccine into the syrette and then sending to the vaccine manufacturer for distribution to the market," Chastain said.
Chaistain said once they have the final green light from the FDA on their product, they can help manufacture 45 million doses per month.
"When you look at the general population and you’re looking at 350 million people, most of the vaccines that we're seeing are going to be required to have a two shot vaccination, so your population base, you’re looking at really in order to inoculate the United States population up to 700 million doses," Chastain said. "That’s going to put an enormous strain on any supply chain specifically with typical vaccines are administered using glass vials, so to have surge capacity sitting in Columbia, South Carolina of 45 million doses a month will help tremendously.”
Ritedose does not have any vaccines on site, but Chastain said they are planning for vaccines within the next three to six weeks.