Thermo Fisher is one of several contract development and manufacturing organizations that Inovio has tapped as part of a global manufacturing consortium to enable Inovio to potentially scale commercial production of INO-4800. Inovio plans to have 100 million doses of the vaccine manufactured in 2021, subject to regulatory approval.

Thermo Fisher will manufacture INO-4800 drug substance and perform fill/finish of the drug product at its commercial facilities in the U.S. At peak capacity, Thermo Fisher could produce at least 100 million doses of the candidate annually.

Existing partners of the global consortium include Richter-Helm BioLogics and Ology Biosciences. Inovio is in discussion with additional manufacturers to join the consortium. The company believes that having multiple manufacturers involved in the production of INO-4800 will support the timely, cost-effective, and scalable production of the DNA-based vaccine.

INO-4800 is a thermo-stable production with a shelf-life of greater than 5 years. The product also does not need to be frozen during transport. The vaccine is administered via Inovio's proprietary Cellectra smart delivery device, which delivers the vaccine locally into the skin.