AstraZeneca today announced the official launch of its supply chain in Thailand, with the first doses of locally produced COVID-19 vaccine ready to be gradually rolled out. 

The new supply chain was established in partnership with Siam Bioscience, a leading Thai manufacturer with specialism in biopharmaceutical medicines, to support broad and equitable access to the vaccine in Southeast Asia. AstraZeneca will deliver the first locally produced vaccine doses to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, in support of their mass vaccination program. Distribution to other Southeast Asian countries will commence in the coming weeks.

James Teague, Country President, AstraZeneca (Thailand) Ltd., said: “This is a major milestone in the battle against COVID-19. Ramping up the production of our vaccine in Thailand in only a few months is a tremendous achievement, thanks to the outstanding collaboration with our manufacturing partner, Siam Bioscience.”

“Now that we are ready to deliver high-quality vaccine produced locally, we can help the Thai government achieve its goal of ensuring the effective vaccination of people in Thailand as quickly as possible.”

Air Chief Marshal Satitpong Sukvimol, Chairman, Siam Bioscience Co., Ltd., and Mr Teague together marked the milestone at a ceremony today. 

Nualphan Lamsam, Honorary Director of Corporate Communications, Siam Bioscience Co., Ltd., said: “Siam Bioscience is proud to have been selected by AstraZeneca as its local manufacturing partner and we take our role of producing high-quality COVID-19 vaccine as fast as possible very seriously. It is an honour to work for the wellbeing of the Thai people, to help bring the acute phase of the pandemic in Thailand and the region to an end.” 

The first doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca at Siam Bioscience have been authorised for quality and safety by both local regulators and international testing laboratories, now allowing their release this week. As part of the manufacturing process, each batch of the vaccine undergoes more than 60 different quality assurance control tests and review processes. 

AstraZeneca has established a novel global supply network, with 16 distinct supply chains and 25 manufacturing partners across more than 15 countries. Siam Bioscience is the only manufacturing site of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine in Southeast Asia, and it will play a critical role in the supply to other Southeast Asian countries, helping to drive forward Thailand’s Healthcare Strategy of being a regional medical hub. The vaccine will be ready for export to other Southeast Asian countries in July.

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be well-tolerated and highly effective against all disease severities across all adults in clinical trials, and emerging real-world evidence from tens of millions of people also shows that the vaccine reduces severe disease and hospital admissions by more than 80% after the first dose.

AstraZeneca has committed to supply its COVID-19 vaccine globally without profit during the pandemic. To date, the company has supplied over 500 million doses to 168 countries. 

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

Siam Bioscience

Siam Bioscience Co., Ltd., the first and only biopharmaceuticals manufacturer in Thailand, was founded in 2009 to preserve and continue in the reign of His Majesty King Rama X what His Majesty King Rama IX had started—to care for the people’s health and wellbeing. 

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is a modified adenoviral vector grown in mammalian cells. Siam Bioscience has experience with manufacturing and exporting products that use such mammalian cell technology such as, erythropoietin (EPO), which is used to treat chronic renal failure patients, and filgrastim (GCSF) for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The company's plants achieved multiple international standards such as PIC/s GMP, ISO9001, ISO17025, and ISO13485, provide an integrated solution for every step of the process and, as the largest biopharmaceutical manufacturer in Thailand, we have the available capacity to expand production lines in the future. With the world-class quality standards and operational excellence, AstraZeneca chooses Thailand’s Siam Bioscience as its technology transfer and manufacturing partner in ASEAN region.