Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has signed a 400 million dose contract with European countries to supply coronavirus vaccines. The British drugmaker is to use the formula developed by Oxford University, in addition to expanding production. Their spokesperson was reported saying that this will be provided without profit due to the pandemic.
While the vaccine is still in its laboratory phase, if the trials come out satisfactory, deliveries are expected to be rolled out by 2020.
The deal is the first contract signed by Europe’s Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA), a group formed by France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands to secure vaccine doses for all member states as soon as possible. The vaccines are for all EU member states. The four nations that agreed the deal will pay for the total amount, which has not been disclosed, and the scheme allows other countries to join it under the same conditions, a source from the Italian health ministry is reported to have said.
The company’s CEO Pascal Soriot said, “This will ensure that hundreds of millions of people in Europe will have access to this vaccine, of course, if it works and we will know that by the end of summer”. He added that the alliance “will work together with the European Commission and other countries in Europe to ensure everybody across Europe is supplied with the vaccine”.
Notably, other countries like China, Brazil, Japan and Russia have also expressed interest in this.