U.S. government to invest $42 million in Becton Dickinson’s injection device production

(Reuters) – Becton Dickinson and Co said on Wednesday the U.S. government will invest $42 million to expand the medical technology company’s manufacturing lines for injection devices to support vaccination efforts against COVID-19.

The company has also finalized an initial order from the government for 50 million needles and syringes to be delivered by the end of December 2020.

The investment is under a public-private partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office, Becton Dickinson said.

BARDA has invested more than $3 billion in vaccines and funded more than 30 projects as part of “Operation Warp Speed,” the White House program aimed at accelerating access to vaccines and treatments for the new coronavirus.

BARDA will get priority access to the injection devices from the new manufacturing lines, the company said.

(Reporting by Vishwadha Chander in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)