Maersk forges supply chain agreement to deliver Covid-19 vaccine worldwide

Covaxx, a US firm developing a vaccine to fight Covid-19, is currently conducting Phase 1 clinical trials in Taiwan, and Phase 2 in the US upon regulatory approval. The company has advanced pre-commitments for over 100 million doses of the vaccine around the globe.

The aim of the Maersk-Covaxx partnership is to distribute up to a billion doses of the Covaxx synthetic vaccine worldwide in 2021.

The agreement provides for end-to-end supply chain management, packing and shipping, via air or ocean, ground transportation, warehouse storage and distribution to facilities to support Covaxx’s requirements for a pharmaceutical grade, temperature-controlled supply chain.

The design of the vaccine components will allow for the use of existing cold-chain storage and distribution channels, as the Covaxx vaccine does not require additional infrastructure such as minus 80 degrees Celsius freezers or liquid nitrogen tanks to store materials at extreme temperatures.

“It is not enough to focus on vaccine development and approvals. We must work in parallel to establish the infrastructure and partners with the strongest capabilities, like Maersk, to safely deliver our vaccine around the world,” said Hu Mei Mei, co-ceo of Covaxx.

Rob Townley, head of special project logistics at Maersk, said: “Efficient and safe delivery of Covid-19 vaccines around the world is the most urgent logistics challenge we face today. AP Moller-Maersk is committed to working closely with Covaxx to ensure smooth end-to-end global delivery of this vaccine as soon as it becomes available.”

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