Nation’s first needle-free vaccine patch facility opens at Northshore

• Vaxxas to ramp up manufacturing of needle-free vaccine patch technology at new facility
• Palaszczuk Government backed Australian-first project to boost state’s economy  
• Will support up to 200 local and skilled jobs in fast-growing global industry 

A needle-free vaccine technology manufacturing facility set to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into Queensland’s economy has been completed at Northshore Hamilton.

Queensland biotechnology company Vaxxas expects to manufacture millions of needle-free vaccine patches at its new Brisbane plant in the next three to five years.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles visited the site today for the official opening of the state-of-the-art biomedical manufacturing facility, built with support from the Palaszczuk Government.

Vaxxas’s world-leading vaccine patch technology can deposit a vaccine through the surface of the skin in just seconds.

The project, expected to support up to 200 local, skilled jobs in the next three to five years, strengthens Queensland’s growing status as a globally competitive Asia-Pacific biomedical hub.

The Queensland Government provided funding and operational support to Vaxxas, to facilitate the refurbishment of an existing warehouse at Northshore, transforming it into the cutting-edge facility.

Today’s opening marks another milestone in the Northshore Hamilton Priority Development Area’s transformation.

Vaxxas joins a hub of innovative businesses such as Universal Field Robots, alongside precincts such as Portside, Brisbane Technology Park and the Eat Street Markets.

Northshore Hamilton is also the future home of the Brisbane Athlete Village for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Quotes attributable to Deputy Premier Steven Miles:

“Queensland is fast shaping up as a global research and innovation hub thanks to the Palaszczuk Government’s investment in state-of-the-art facilities like this one,” Mr Miles said.

“Economic Development Queensland worked closely with Vaxxas to progress designs and approval for this facility, so it’s fantastic to be here to open it.

“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to supporting homegrown biomedical start-ups to scale up successfully and ensure we keep this innovation and our best and brightest researchers on home soil.

“Vaxxas is a terrific example of a local success story that will create highly-skilled jobs in a fast-growing global industry and supercharge the state’s economy.

“Expanding our sovereign capability in the development, manufacturing and delivery of vaccines was one of the important lessons COVID-19 taught us.

“This world-renowned technology has the potential to play a vital role in pandemic-preparedness, because it allows vaccines to be deployed quickly and easily to our communities.

“I’m excited to see this new facility up and running at Northshore Hamilton, which is undergoing a spectacular transformation as Queensland’s largest urban renewal precinct.

“Queensland is going from strength to strength as the place to work and invest in science.”

Quotes attributable to Vaxxas Chief Executive Officer David Hoey:

“The facility’s opening marks a significant milestone for Vaxxas, which was founded in 2011 on research from The University of Queensland.

“With the support of the Queensland State and Australian Federal Governments, the Vaxxas Biomedical Facility will firmly position Australia at the forefront of vaccine technology innovation.

“The site will significantly increase our manufacturing capacity, creating new local and skilled jobs, while enabling Vaxxas to progress through late-stage clinical trials that will bring our first commercial vaccine products to the market.

“With several completed human clinical trials involving more than 500 participants, ongoing Australian Phase I clinical studies for COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, and other vaccine studies targeting pandemic influenza funded by the United States Government and a measles-rubella study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation expected to start in 2024, Vaxxas’ vaccine patch technology platform is advancing rapidly towards commercialisation.

“We expect to manufacture and distribute the first commercially available needle-free vaccine patches from this Queensland facility within three to five years.”

Additional facts:

• Vaxxas project aligns with the Queensland Government’s Biomedical 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan
• Biomedical sector contributes $2.1 billion to Queensland’s economy, employing more than 12,000 people
• The Queensland Biomedical Business Attraction Program will open soon, designed to attract interstate and international industry to access our biomedical capability

ENDS

Media contact: Emilia Hutchinson 0437 060 435