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The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has partnered with the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer to guarantee affordable access to a coronavirus vaccine for the developing world.
The collaboration between the Gates organization and the Serum Institute of India will distribute up to 100 million doses of a vaccine under $ 3 (£ 2.3) each to low- and middle-income countries, with an option for additional provision if needed.
The partnership will produce the product on a scale for distribution once a working vaccine has been found and approved. The team was able to start manufacturing in the first half of 2021.
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The deal comes as governments around the world seek rights for production and distribution of drug makers with promising candidates. The Gates Serum Partnership will ensure that poorer countries are not exposed to high prices once a vaccine has been approved.
Despite faxes still in development, pharmaceutical companies have begun to indicate how much they would charge per dose. This differs from Oxford University’s commitment to deliver its vaccine globally at a cost of around $ 3 per shot, while Moderna is on the other end of the spectrum, announcing that its two-dose program will be priced. near $ 74 (£ 56.7).
The partnership also includes Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an international organization that provides vaccines in developing countries, which will help fund Serum to grow its production capacity.
Serum has already developed contracts with vaccine candidates through Novavax and Oxford University in collaboration with AstraZeneca.
“Researchers are making good progress in developing safe and effective vaccines for Covid-19,” Bill Gates said in a statement.
“But to ensure that everyone has access as soon as possible, large production capacity and a global distribution network will be needed. This collaboration gives the world something of both: the power of India’s manufacturing sector and Gavi’s supply chain. “
The Oxford product is already in its late-stage trial, and the Novavax product is expected to enter phase three testing in the autumn.
Each company has received more than $ 1 billion from the U.S. government as part of the country’s effort to obtain a fax.
Serum is a major supplier to the World Health Organization, the world’s largest producer by volume, and releases 1.5 billion vaccine doses annually.
While the vaccine development process typically takes between 10 and 15 years, the dreaded search has quickly followed the operation that a vaccine for coronavirus can be approved at the end of the year.
There are currently 26 faxes tested on humans, but only a handful have reached the final round of testing.
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