• Ivan Duque Marquez, President of Colombia, members of the National Government, and VaxThera´s CEO kicked off the construction of the plant that will produce vaccines for the country and Latin America.
• Nearly 100 million doses per year will be produced at the new plant.
• VaxThera will have state-of-the-art technologies including Fill-and-Finish capabilities, production blocks with multiple fabrication technologies, research and development centers, and other advanced systems.

Rionegro, February 02, 2022 – After more than 20 years without vaccines or biologicals being produced in the country, VaxThera, a Colombian company specializing in   biotechnology, began construction of its manufacturing plant in Rionegro, Antioquia.  Colombia will once again be in control of its own healthcare systems.

Thanks to the investment of 54 million dollars by Seguros SURA, VaxThera will have its own plant with the highest standards of technological quality for research, production, distribution and product packaging capacity. This will allow Colombia to face both existing and emerging diseases that may arise in the future.

“This is a private sector initiative looking to solve one of the biggest challenges facing the country, which is to provide for the health and safety of the people in the region. For this reason, the construction of the plant will be carried out in two stages. The first will have ten thousand square meters that will house the fill and finish capabilities, potency and toxicity laboratories, storage centers, and service buildings. In the second stage, production blocks, the administrative block and the research and development unit will be integrated”, Jorge Emilio Osorio, CEO of VaxThera, stated.

Iván Duque Márquez, President of Colombia said, “We are celebrating and recognizing the business team that has worked on this initiative. We needed to accelerate production and independence for the development of vaccines in the country and maintain sovereignty in terms of health security. Seeing this result, the production of this plant reflects the teamwork between the public and private sectors, in addition to the development of technology and innovation for life.”

“VaxThera is going to provide us that first indication that it is possible to have a transformation of public health in Colombia, in which both the private sector and the government work together to ensure an inclusive public health system and essential protection for all Colombians”, expressed the Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz Gómez during the event.

Details of the Production Plant

The design of the plant complies with the national and international regulations of good manufacturing practices (cGMP): INVIMA, FDA and EMA certifications. The plant will be in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia, on 35,000 m² of land, of which 10,000 m² is dedicated for the first phase of construction.

The Phase I facility will house the formulation and Fill-and-Finish production areas, along with ancillary functions including a potency and toxicity laboratory, a quality control and assurance laboratory, a storage center and warehouse, technical and employee service spaces, among others.  When complete, it is estimated this Phase I facility will produce 100 million doses of vaccine per year.

The future Phase II facility will expand on the formulation and Fill-and-Finish capabilities of Phase I, increasing production capacity to between 200 and 250 million doses per year through the development of a lyophilization (freeze-drying) center, as well as production capacity for pre-filled syringes and vials, and multiple other production technologies.

The construction of each phase will follow all ethical and environmental standards, including responsible waste management and other practices in favor of caring for the environment and the people surrounding this area. With this construction, VaxThera will generate more than 500 jobs in the region and will promote specialized skills and human talent in the country, turning Colombia into the epicenter of knowledge, development and innovation around the production of biologicals.

About VaxThera

VaxThera is a science-focused Colombian company dedicated to the research and development of biologics for the world. The company seeks to generate health independence through research, development and innovation in biotechnology and health. VaxThera was born thanks to the articulation of SURA*, and world-renowned researchers in the field of biotechnology and human health. The Company is led by a team with more than 30 years of experience in biological research and development.

*Suramericana S.A (SURA).  was founded in 1944 as a company dedicated to underwriting property insurance. Today, the company specializes not only in insurance solutions, but also in trends and risk management. It is the market leader in Colombia and has operations in El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Panama, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, México and Uruguay. In 2016, Suramericana S.A. consolidated its presence in Latin America, as a result of the acquisition of RSA (Royal & Sun Alliance) operations in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. 

Through its subsidiaries in Colombia: Seguros SURA, ARL SURA y EPS SURA,the company offers P&C and life insurance, social security solutions, as well as specialized services in clinical laboratory, consulting services for risk management and health promoting entities.

Grupo SURA, its parent company, provides continuous support and holds 81.1% ownership. International reinsurer leader Munich Re. owns the remaining 18.9%. This ownership structure allows Suramericana S.A. to generate operating, commercial and financial synergies.

Press information:

Eliana Siegert
esiegert@vaxthera.com