Emergent BioSolutions Inc (EBS.N) said on Monday it signed a five-year contract to make the drug substance used in Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine candidate, adding to a series of deals likely to put it at the heart of future global vaccine production.

Under the deal, starting next year Emergent will provide large-scale manufacturing services to produce the drug substance over five years, with the first two years valued at about $480 million. Source: Reuters 6/7/2020