British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to supply 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Europe

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Coronavirus vaccine still in clinical trials (File)

Rome:

AstraZeneca Plc has signed a contract with European governments to supply the region with its potential coronavirus vaccine, the latest agreement from the British drug maker to promise its drug to help fight the pandemic.

The contract covers up to 400 million doses of vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, the company announced on Saturday, adding that it was seeking to develop the manufacturing of the vaccine, which it said would generate no profit during the pandemic. . The vaccine is still in clinical trials. If the results of the trial convince regulatory authorities that the vaccine is safe and effective, deliveries are expected to begin by the end of 2020.

The agreement is the first contract signed by the European Alliance for Inclusive Vaccines (IVA), a group formed by France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands to guarantee vaccine doses for all member states. as soon as possible.

“This will guarantee that hundreds of millions of people in Europe will have access to this vaccine, of course if it works and we will know by the end of the summer,” said company president and chief executive officer Pascal Soriot. He said he had “good hopes” that it would work, based on the initial data.

The alliance “will work with the European Commission and other European countries to ensure that everyone in Europe is supplied with the vaccine,” he said.

“We have a very self-sufficient supply chain for Europe” with manufacturers lined up in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Italy, among others, he said.

The vaccines are intended for all EU member states. The four nations that have accepted the agreement will pay the full amount, which has not been released, and the program allows other countries to join on the same terms, said a source at the Italian Ministry of Health.

China, Brazil, Japan and Russia have also expressed interest, he said.

The British Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the start of phase III trials of the vaccine after the studies have shown sufficient efficacy and safety, said Soriot.

At a meeting of European health ministers on Friday, IVA agreed to merge its activities with those of the European Commission, said the German health ministry.

The agreement is the latest AstraZeneca to promise to supply its vaccine to governments that have been quick to agree on advance purchases of promising coronavirus vaccination treatments.

It has entered into global manufacturing agreements to reach its goal of producing 2 billion doses of vaccine, including two projects supported by Bill Gates and a $ 1.2 billion agreement with the United States government.

The deal will add another 100 million doses to the 2 billion already committed by the group, said AstraZeneca.

There is no vaccine or approved treatment for COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

“Many countries in the world have already obtained vaccines, Europe has not yet done so. The rapid coordinated action of a group of Member States will create added value for all EU citizens in this crisis, “said Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza.

(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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