We can shine in cutting-edge medical manufacturing

When CSL was first established in 1916 it was to help our nation, isolated by war, to secure our medical supply chains and sovereign capability. Now over 100 years later and a global leader in biotech, CSL is manufacturing 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine right here on our shores.

They will begin being
rolled out from the end of March, joining Pfizer’s vaccine, which is
already being administered, as part of our program to keep Australians
safe and protect our way of life.

Pfizer’s
successful mRNA vaccine has sparked a lot of discussion about
Australia’s capability to produce these cutting-edge types of
treatments.

The reality is producing mRNA vaccines at scale is a brand new challenge
the entire world is grappling with. But, just as we did during the
height of the pandemic with manufacturing surgical masks and
ventilators, we’re not taking “that’s impossible” for an answer.We
have been exploring practical options to mobilise the capability of
local businesses and researchers to future proof our nation when it
comes to vaccines.

Because just as CSL was born out of necessity, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we all view sovereign capability and needs.

An audit has identified a number of companies in Australia with mRNA
production capability and we are working with them to explore if that
capability could be scaled up in the future.

And,
importantly, mRNA vaccine production has also been identified as a
growth opportunity in our medical products National Priority
Manufacturing road map that released today.

This
road map will guide our investments in the sector under the $1.3bn
Modern Manufacturing Initiative, with businesses now able to apply for
support to turn their great ideas into commercial realities, and
integrate them into domestic and global supply chains.

And
while mRNA vaccines are clearly an important challenge and opportunity —
they are just one of the technologies that have been highlighted in the
road map where Australian manufacturers have an opportunity to scale-up
and create jobs.

Our investment
opportunities include smart monitoring devices and diagnostics,
personalised implants and bionics, high-value pharmaceuticals, biologics
and complementary medicines, cutting-edge treatments like regenerative
medicine and genomics, as well as digital integrated products and
platforms.

We are focusing on
high-value opportunities that will position medical products
manufacturers for long-term success, building on our world-leading
reputation in the medical products sector.

This
isn’t about a short term fix — we want to scale up production for the
long term to ensure our fledgling biotech and medtech companies can
become the CSL or Cochlear of the future.

For
an optimistic insight into that future (and evidence of why medical
products are one of our manufacturing priority sectors) it’s worth
googling:

“Axcelda Pen”, an incredible stem cell 3D printing device that treats osteoarthritis.

“Artrya”, a Medtech company using deep learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to detect the risk of heart disease; or

“Anatomics”,
which has developed the world’s most advanced polymer tissue scaffold
to manufacture state-of-the-art craniofacial implants.

These
are just the tip of our medical technology iceberg — with more than 500
Aussie medtech companies working to develop new products and services.

Just
as CSL did more than 100 years ago, we are seizing the opportunity to
create the foundations for a healthier, more secure Australia a century
from now.

Karen Andrews is the federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology.

Published in The Australian.