HHS said it will give $31 million to Massachusetts pharmaceutical manufacturer Cytiva to scale up its production of materials needed to produce COVID-19 vaccines, the department announced Oct. 13.
The funding will allow Cytiva to expand its capacity to manufacture products such as liquid and dry powder cell culture media, cell culture buffers, bioreactors and mixer bags.
The agreement requires Cytiva to increase its production capacity for vaccine components at its Massachusetts facilities and begin manufacturing them at its Utah facilities. HHS has told the company this must be completed in less than a year, as it currently only manufactures these products in Massachusetts.
"As part of Operation Warp Speed, we are expanding U.S.-based manufacturing of the products that are essential in the development and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a news release. "By expanding capacity now, not only do we help deliver these products as quickly as possible, but we also return manufacturing to America, boosting the economy and preparing us for future crises."