SCHOTT’s pharmaceutical packaging business unit has delivered enough vials to provide more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, marking a massive contribution to the global fight against COVID-19.
SCHOTT remains well on track to deliver vials for more than 2 billion vaccine doses through 2021.
The vials were delivered to projects around the world, with a focus on the U.S., Europe, and China. Approximately 90 percent of approved vaccines rely on SCHOTT vials.
“The reaction of the pharmaceutical community to COVID-19 is a testament to the power of scientific progress,” said Dr. Frank Heinricht, CEO of SCHOTT AG. “In just under a year, all previous records for vaccine development have been shattered by not just one, but several research groups. The entire industry is successfully working together to ensure an adequate supply. We’re also working with our government partners to evaluate ways to improve the supply chain and expand production capacity.”
SCHOTT is one of the top producers of pharmaceutical containers made from borosilicate glass, the most proven and most widely available material used to store and deliver vaccines and other sensitive medications. SCHOTT’s global manufacturing footprint includes five sites dedicated to the manufacture of type-1 borosilicate glass tubes and another 16 plants converting the tubes into vials.
The success of the COVID-19 response is supported by the company’s multi-year, $1 billion global investment in pharmaceutical glass and packaging facilities announced early 2019 in response to rising worldwide demand for safer drug packaging. Despite the pandemic, all expansion projects are on track.