AstraZeneca expected to release eagerly awaited data on advanced clinical trials in the coming weeks
Dhaka:
Bangladesh on Thursday signed an agreement with the Serum Institute of India to purchase 30 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by British drug maker AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine is considered one of the most advanced candidates in the race against the novel coronavirus.
“Whenever the vaccine is ready, the Serum Institute will give us 30 million doses in the first phase,” Health Minister Zahid Maleque told reporters after the agreement was signed in Dhaka.
He said 5 million doses of the vaccine per month would be purchased through Bangladeshi drug maker Beximco Pharmaceuticals.
“We will be able to immunize 15 million people because two vaccines are needed for each person 28 days apart,” Maleque said.
He said Serum Institute would provide the vaccine at a price similar to that paid by India. Sources said the cost could be $ 4-5 per dose.
Bangladesh was in talks with development partners, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to secure funds for the vaccine, government officials said.
Meanwhile, there are doubts about Sinovac Biotech’s late-stage trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh after Dhaka refused to respond to the Chinese company’s request for co-funding.
Experts fear Bangladesh will face a further rise in infections during the winter, having so far confirmed 416,006 cases, including 6,021 deaths.
The Serum Institute, the world‘s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, has partnered with AstraZeneca, the Gates Foundation and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance to produce more than one billion doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for global sourcing.
It is organizing trials for three potential coronavirus vaccines, including one licensed to AstraZeneca by the University of Oxford.
AstraZeneca said Thursday it is withholding shipments pending data from advanced clinical trials to maximize the shelf life of supplies.
The drugmaker has signed multiple supply and manufacturing agreements with companies and governments around the world, while data from October showed the vaccine produces an immune response in older and young adults.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
