It has been almost twelve months since the Trump administration had awarded federal loans and contracts worth up to $1.3 billion to supply what was once considered an essential syringe to combat Covid-19. The fortunate firm receiving the majority of this funding, ApiJect Systems Corporation, has yet to fulfill its contractual statement to “supply 100 million prefilled syringes for Covid-19 response by year-end 2020.” Despite not having met their actual goal, ApiJect did meet their contractual obligation by lining up a subcontractor that promises to be able to produce the syringes if they are approved by the FDA.
According to what ApiJect has reported to NBC News, their firm has the potential of supporting the nation’s demand for the production of syringes without having to rely on overseas manufacturers. ApiJect’s technology is projected to be able to hold the actual Covid-19 vaccine in the plastic syringe before being shipped out to places such as hospitals and vaccination sites. The setbacks now, after eleven months after the initial funding from the Trump administration, is to get FDA approval and almost $200 million additional funding from private sources.
So what does this mean for us, over a year later into the pandemic? For one thing, it means staying on the lookout for when ApiJect receives their additional funding as well as the FDA approval. With the strong domestic supply chain this firm hopes to secure, the United States could become the world leader in covid-19 vaccinations – but let’s hope it’s not another twelve months before there is more traction on this agenda.
More information on Covid-19 can be found on GovShop, a free supplier and contract intelligence platform that provides comprehensive data across all markets. As part of the ongoing effort of Public Spend Forum to connect buyers and suppliers in emerging technology fields, GovShop’s list of suppliers in Covid-19 is accessible here.
