With the enterovirus epidemic on the rise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on the 23rd that the weekly number of outpatient visits surged to 11,000, marking a 10-year high for the same period, signaling the official onset of the enterovirus season. This bodes well for MVC, which produces the enterovirus type 71 vaccine, and Enimmune, a subsidiary of Adimmune. MVC stated that its annual production capacity can reach 1 million doses, with sufficient capacity to confidently capture 90% of the market share in Taiwan this year.
In addition to receiving a government order of 1,200 doses from Nantou for free distribution, Enimmune is currently in active negotiations with several local governments.
Enimmune's enterovirus vaccine is produced in a pilot factory rented from the National Health Research Institutes. Given the limited capacity, the production line for enterovirus vaccines has gradually been moved from the National Health Research Institutes to the Adimmune cell factory. The company expects to ship over 10,000 doses by June of this year and anticipates an annual shipment volume of over 50,000 doses. With the launch of the new production line next year, the annual output is expected to exceed 100,000 doses.
Lee Si-Xian, Deputy General Manager of High-End, stated that April to June is the peak period for enterovirus outbreaks. MVC has gradually increased its shipments since March and has also donated 800 and 400 doses of enterovirus type 71 vaccine to Hualien and Taitung counties, respectively. Vaccination for infants under 2 years old from low-income households began last week.
According to recent laboratory monitoring by the CDC, enterovirus activity is currently occurring in the community, with coxsackievirus type A being the most detected, and sporadic detections of enterovirus type 71 and D68 viruses, which can cause severe illness, but only in sporadic cases. There has been one severe case reported this year, infected with coxsackievirus type A10.
The CDC reported that last week, there were 11,643 visits to the emergency room due to enterovirus, a 22.3% increase from the previous week's 9,518 visits, indicating that Taiwan has entered the enterovirus season and the recent epidemic is rapidly escalating. It is expected to peak by the end of May, reminding the public to take preventive measures.
Si-Xian Lee stated that the recent vaccination rate for High-End's enterovirus type 71 vaccine is indeed increasing continuously. The company's production capacity is currently sufficient, with an annual capacity of up to 1 million doses.
In addition, MVC's enterovirus type 71 vaccine was applied for drug certification in Vietnam last year. With approximately 1.5 million newborns in Vietnam each year and no available enterovirus type 71 vaccine for administration, and with recent outbreaks of enterovirus reported in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, investors are optimistic that MVC will obtain Vietnamese drug certification this year, ushering in a threefold increase in performance.
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