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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2020
Contact: ASPR Press Office
202-205-8117
[email protected]

HHS Reserves and Rapidly Expands Manufacturing Capacity for COVID-19 Vaccines at Texas Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today reserved the available advanced manufacturing capability and capacities of the Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) at the Texas A&M University System for use in manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines. The task order to the CIADM includes accelerating expansion of that manufacturing capacity for potential COVID-19 vaccines.

The approximately $265 million task order falls under an existing agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. The CIADM is a public-private partnership between BARDA and the Texas A&M University System with manufacturing subcontracted to FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies.

With this task order, the U.S. government has reserved the CIADM's capacity through December 2021 for U.S. government partners developing vaccines, such as Novavax, under Operation Warp Speed. The task order also enables FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies to more rapidly expand production capacity for vaccine manufacturing at the company's CIADM facilities in Texas.

"Operation Warp Speed is one of the largest vaccine manufacturing efforts in recent history," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "To ensure we have the needed capacity, we are engaging domestic centers for advanced manufacturing that HHS has helped build in recent years. Securing more manufacturing capacity here in America will help get a vaccine to Americans without a day wasted and prepare our nation for future emergencies."

BARDA has invested since 2012 in expanding manufacturing capabilities in the United States, including creating three CIADMs, to boost national preparedness. The CIADMs provide significant expertise and infrastructure to develop and manufacture medical countermeasures, such as vaccines and therapeutics to respond to public health emergencies, as well as workforce training in medical countermeasure development and manufacturing.

With today's task order, the Texas A&M University System CIADM becomes the second to be reserved and expanded for the Operation Warp Speed effort. The first was a CIADM in Maryland.

About Operation Warp Speed (OWS):

OWS is a partnership among components of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense, engaging with private firms and other federal agencies, and coordinating among existing HHS-wide efforts to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

About HHS, ASPR, and BARDA:

HHS works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The mission of ASPR is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats. Within ASPR, BARDA invests in the innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures – vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products needed to combat health security threats. To date, BARDA-supported products have achieved 55 FDA approvals, licensures or clearances. To learn more about federal support for the nationwide COVID-19 response, visit coronavirus.gov.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news.
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Last revised: July 27, 2020

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