GC Pharma has again delayed confirming whether or not rumors about its manufacturing of Janssen’s Covid-19 vaccine were true.

In a public filing on Thursday, GC Pharma said it made no specific decision regarding news reports on Aug. 28 about the possibility of producing Janssen’s vaccine.

The latest announcement is the company’s third unconfirmed stance on the possibility of a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) deal with Janssen for vaccine manufacturing.

After the Aug. 28 news reports, GC Pharma released a statement on Aug. 30 and Sept. 29, respectively, saying “nothing specific has been decided.”

Previously, the company said it would update the filing within a month. However, this time, it said it would announce once it confirms its stance or within six months.

Pharmaceutical industry sources said GC Pharma and Janssen might be adjusting final details before signing a CMO deal for manufacturing Janssen’s Covid-19 vaccine.

“Confidentiality is very important in a consignment production deal. It is not easy to push a deal forward because you have to check every word of the agreement until the end of the negotiation,” an official at a pharmaceutical company said. “Another unconfirmed announcement seems to signal that the two are adjusting the content of the deal.”

The official went on to say that although a CMO deal with a multinational pharmaceutical company means a lot, people are also questioning the necessity of manufacturing Janssen’s vaccine in consignment because of many breakthrough infections among Janssen’s vaccine recipients and an imminent release of Merck’s oral Covid-19 treatment.

Thus, GC Pharma must be considering many business aspects, he added.