Our Response to COVID-19

We believe that our industry position as a global pharmaceutical company, with a relevant portfolio of medicines and strategic manufacturing capability, is the most fundamental way we contribute to increasing access to medicines and furthering the global goal of universal access to healthcare. We have one common goal in everything we do – to deliver high quality, affordable medicines to the patients who need them. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of health security and the need to find innovative solutions to support global efforts to ensure that patients everywhere get the medicines they need.

The reliable supply of life-saving medicines used to treat COVID-19 in patients, many of whom receive this treatment in intensive care units, has been of paramount importance during this pandemic. Certain of our anaesthetic products are used in the tracheal intubation of patients. In contrast, anticoagulants are used to counter the increased risk of thrombotic complications in patients who have suffered from COVID-19.

Aspen’s dexamethasone, in particular, has also been widely used as a treatment option for hospitalised COVID-19 patients. In response to the global demand for these and other essential medicines, we established a supply chain task force to coordinate our efforts to ensure the continued supply of products where they were needed most.

We are proud of our contribution to the global response to COVID-19 through the delivery of life-saving medicines, including the manufacture of more than 225 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at our flagship Gqeberha-based manufacturing site in South Africa.

We also concluded an agreement with Johnson & Johnson for the manufacture and sale of an Aspen-branded COVID-19 vaccine, Aspenovax, to public sector markets in Africa through transactions with designated multilateral organisations and with national governments of member states of the African Union. We are ready to supply COVID-19 vaccines to Africa under a regional procurement pronouncement and as committed by the African Union, COVAX and AVATT.