Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac has decided to abandon its ambitious project to establish a research and development center as well as a vaccine production plant in Chile, relocating its plans to Colombia.
This news was announced by the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Aisén Etcheverry, in an interview on Radio Cooperativa.
Initially, the firm was planning to invest 100 million dollars in the construction of the plant in the Antofagasta region, with the goal of producing up to 50 million doses of vaccines against diseases such as coronavirus, hepatitis and influenza, among others. The original plan was to have the plant operational by mid last year.
However, this plan did not materialize as planned. According to the Minister of Science, Sinovac's decision was due to the "size of the market" and not to problems related to the permits necessary for the installation of the plant.
The minister explained that the plant was designed to produce a specific type of vaccine and that not all vaccines could be manufactured in the same place, as they require specialized facilities.
In addition, the technology used in the plant had market characteristics that were not sufficiently attractive for Sinovac in the Chilean context. It is known that the company had been in conversations with Colombia regarding the relocation of its project.
With information from: El Economista.
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