As the race for a coronavirus vaccine to battle COVID-19 continues, Michigan is leaping to the forefront with news that Pfizer, Inc. has dosed the first participants in the U.S. in a clinical trial for the BNT162 vaccine program to prevent infection. Among the first to respond to the news today was Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
This morning the governor released the following statement after Pfizer Inc. made their announcement, which also points out that the initial manufacturing for the COVID-19 vaccine will be conducted in Kalamazoo:
“This is great news for our families, our neighbors, and those serving on the front lines during this crisis. COVID-19 has shown how vulnerable our country is when it comes to supply chain and much of the lifesaving materials we need are manufactured out of the country. That’s why we are so proud that one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the world is the Pfizer site right here in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In fact, Michigan has a strong history of vaccine development with the polio and anthrax vaccines. Pfizer is a great partner and the State of Michigan and our strong manufacturing roots stand ready to serve.”
Congressman Fred Upton also commended Pfizer after the company announced today that their Kalamazoo site will be used to manufacture some of the COVID-19 trial vaccine. Here is his statement:
“I am delighted Pfizer recognized this Kalamazoo workforce and facility to do such important work. The entire industry is working together and committed to develop and produce a vaccine as quickly as possible. We know that a vaccine is the only true way for us to get back to normal and begin on our road to recovery. That recovery begins with Pfeizer’s exciting developments here in Kalamazoo. Finding a vaccine is critical to winning the war against the coronavirus, which is why we allocated more than $4.5 billion under the CARES Act to help accelerate COVID-19 related diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. We are all wishing for the best here and will closely monitor Pfizer’s progress.”
Pfizer is making additional at-risk investment to actively scale up their manufacturing capacity and distribution infrastructure to bring a promising vaccine candidate to the world. The company’s clinical trial supply will be made at sites in Andover, Massachusetts and Chesterfield, Missouri, and the initial manufacturing will be conducted in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The trial is part of a global development program, and the dosing of the first cohort in Germany was completed last week. The first stage of the study is taking place at four sites across the U.S. including:
- NYU School of Medicine
- University of Maryland School of Medicine
- University of Rochester School of Medicine
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Plans are to rapidly scale up the number of sites across the country as Pfizer moves into later stages of development throughout the year. Stay tuned.
