Chinese vaccine company Sinovac Biotech Ltd announced on Thursday that it has achieved a major milestone in international cooperation with its successful bid for Turkyie’s long-term supply project for hepatitis A and chickenpox vaccines.

The bid was won by KeyVac on May 24, a joint venture between Sinovac and a Turkish partner, which has a vaccine production base in Turkyie with an annual capacity of 30 million doses.

A testament to the strong collaboration between China and Turkyie in the public health sector, the project follows years of efforts by Sinovac to supply vaccines to overseas markets.

The Turkish government, aiming to localize the production and supply of human vaccines, initiated an open tender program for hepatitis A and chickenpox vaccines in December 2023. The tender officially opened on April 2, 2024, with KeyVac emerging as the successful bidder amidst fierce competition.

Yang Guang, chief business officer with Sinovac, said that the success of the project signifies a pivotal step for the company in advancing international cooperation and marks an important milestone for Chinese vaccine enterprises going global.

“The successful bid demonstrates that Sinovac’s vaccine products, services and technological capabilities have earned the recognition and trust of Turkish government and people, to substantially fulfill the country’s enduring vaccine demand,” Yang said.

Sinovac has been actively involved in tendering for the supply of hepatitis A vaccines in Turkyie since 2013 and has explored local production partnerships.

Since 2020, Sinovac has consistently supplied Turkyie with COVID-19 vaccines, hepatitis A vaccines, influenza vaccines and chickenpox vaccines, with a cumulative total of nearly 94 million doses.

Sinovac and a local partner co-established KeyVac in 2021, investing $100 million on the production base of 29,500 square meters.