Glass vial makers prepare for COVID-19 vaccine

"PARIS" Drugmakers are warning of a potential shortage of vials to bottle future COVID-19 vaccines; but their rush to secure supplies risks making matters worse- some major medical equipment manufacturers warn.

                                                  
Schott AG; the world’s largest maker of speciality glass for vaccine vials; says it has turned down requests to reserve output from major pharmaceutical firms because it does not want to commit resources before it is clear which vaccines will work.  
With thousands dying from COVID-19 every day and attempts to contain the virus plunging the world into recession; drugmakers and healthcare groups including Pfizer; AstraZeneca and the GAVI vaccines alliance are  pushing to the part on which mass produce vaccines even before they are shown to work in trials.
AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot; the head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations Richard Hatchett- and the director general of global drugmakers’ lobby group IFPMA; Thomas Cueni, have all warned there may not be enough glass vials available for a global immunisation campaign.

Heinricht said Schott had turned down requests from major vaccine developers for future delivery of 800 million to 1 billion glass vials- which typically hold 5-10 doses, because the company believed it was too early to make such a commitment.

"That is the dilemma we are in;" Heinricht said: adding Schott’s cautious stance may have contributed to an industry view that vials, which drugmakers buy for less than 10 euro cents apiece: may become in short supply