Inovio signs COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing deal with Japan's Kaneka

FILE PHOTO: The word "COVID-19" is reflected in a drop on a syringe needle in this illustration

(Reuters) - Japan's Kaneka Corp has entered into a deal to manufacture Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the U.S.-based vaccine maker said on Thursday.

It did not disclose the terms of the agreement with Kaneka Eurogentec, a unit of the Japanese chemical company.

Inovio has also signed manufacturing deals with medical device maker Thermo Fisher Scientific among others, to increase supply of the vaccine, which entered a mid-stage study last month.

The Phase 3 of the mid-to-late stage study is under a partial hold by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as it seeks more information, including details on a delivery device used to inject genetic material into cells.

(Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)