Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd announced on March 12, 2021, that it has started manufacturing the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222) in Japan. The marketing approval application for AZD1222 in Japan was submitted by AstraZeneca K.K. on February 5, 2021.

Daiichi Sankyo is using undiluted solutions provided by AstraZeneca to manufacture AZD1222 in Japan, including the vial filling and packaging, in accordance with the outsourcing agreement to manufacture AZD1222, which was concluded with AstraZeneca in February 2021. The manufacture of AZD1222 is being undertaken by Daiichi Sankyo Biotech Company, Limited, a subsidiary of Daiichi Sankyo, at a facility dedicated to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “project to establish a system for developing and producing novel influenza virus vaccines.”

As a Japanese company that conducts the business of developing vaccines, Daiichi Sankyo is striving to help restore safety and security in society through the early eradication of COVID-19 by ensuring the stable supply of AZD1222 in Japan.