Report on Bilthoven Biologicals Pandemic Preparedness Facility in Dutch newspaper NRC

During the coronavirus pandemic five years ago, an effective vaccine was found relatively quickly. However, production was organized much slower. ‘The process went awry when it came to scaling up production capacity and making raw materials available, from the buffers and media needed to make the vaccine to the filling bottles and stoppers that go on the vials. There was a global shortage of almost everything,’ says Jurgen Kwik, CEO of Bilthoven Biologicals. "American components were no longer leaving the country under the banner of America First. Boris Johnson considered raiding Halix in Leiden to “pick up” a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines because he felt the United Kingdom was entitled to them. Vaccines produced in India were not allowed to cross the border, and Europe itself erected all kinds of barriers to prevent vaccines from being exported outside Europe," Hans Schikan, Former Special Envoy for Vaccines, recalls.

Operational

The European Commission has learned lessons from the coronavirus pandemic. Bilthoven Biologicals and five other locations across Europe have been designated as production sites in the event of a new pandemic. Each location specialises in a specific type of vaccine; Bilthoven Biologicals is selected as producer of viral vector vaccines. When an effective vaccine becomes available, all production sites must be operational within three months in order to supply the European Commission. This does not mean that the facility sits idle until a next pandemic. The facility will already be running in the coming period to produce other vector vaccines, explains Claudia Tietz, the site manager, ‘also to keep our staff trained and all certificates and licences up to date.’ When the “plant” is at full capacity, BBio will be able to produce at least 300 million vaccines per year.

Filling caps

In fact, almost everything is already in place to get started, says Bilthoven Biologicals’business developer Jorrit van Hoorn, in order to further reduce vulnerability to supply chain disruptions. This includes the filling caps used to seal the vials. And for materials that are not yet available in Bilthoven, firm agreements have been made with suppliers in Europe. ‘The entire supply chain has already been mapped out and the contracts with all suppliers have been signed,’ says van Hoorn.

Support from India

The Pandemic Preparedness Facility was set up in just one year, thanks in large part to the support flown in from the parent company in India. The Cyrus Poonawalla Group has built the world's largest pandemic facility in India and therefore had a wealth of knowledge and expertise at its disposal to support the operation in Bilthoven. India and Bilthoven will also work closely together when the pandemic breaks out.

The NRC article by Karlijn Saris can be read here [Europese vaccinfabriek in Bilthoven staat ‘met draaiende motor’ klaar voor een volgende pandemie - NRC].