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Australia will purchase 84.8 million doses of vaccines at a cost of $ 1.7 billion if two promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates are successful, under open access agreements for Australians negotiated by the Morrison government.
The agreements promising land-based manufacturing of the Oxford University vaccine by AstraZeneca and the University of Queensland vaccine by CSL will be announced by Scott Morrison with Health Minister Greg Hunt and Science Minister Karen Andrews , Monday.
The AstraZeneca deal could make 3.8 million doses of the Oxford vaccine available starting in January and February 2021, with the UQ vaccine to follow in mid-2021.
The Oxford University vaccine has entered phase three trials in the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa and the United States. It has generated strong immune responses and has had no significant safety issues to date.
The UQ vaccine is in preclinical testing, is used in 120 adults in Brisbane, and has shown promise in animal trials. Both vaccines will likely require two doses per person: a starting dose and then a booster.
More than 95% of the vaccine doses will be manufactured in Melbourne, a breakthrough in the position in August, when CSL’s CFO warned it was too early to say whether manufacturing in Australia was possible.
In a statement, the prime minister said: “Australians will get free access to a Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 if the trials are successful.”
“By securing production and supply agreements, Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a safe and effective vaccine, should it pass advanced stage testing,” said Morrison.
“There are no guarantees that these vaccines will be successful, however the agreement puts Australia at the top of the line if our medical experts give the green light to vaccines.”
In August, the Morrison government announced an agreement with AstraZeneca, prompting criticism from the opposition that a formal agreement had not been signed. Labor said Australia was far behind the United States and the United Kingdom.
The announcement also caused confusion when Morrison was forced to clarify that the vaccine would not be mandatory after previously suggesting that it would be “as mandatory as possible.”
Hunt said Sunday night: “Any decision regarding vaccines will be based on the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization and other experts, and will be contingent on a vaccine meeting all requirements regarding testing and safety”.
“While the government supports immunization, it is not mandatory and individuals retain the option to choose not to vaccinate,” said the Minister of Health.
The Australian government would buy 33.8 million doses of the Oxford vaccine and 51 million doses of the UQ vaccine.
The Australian government has suggested that it would also help achieve early access to vaccines for Pacific countries, as well as regional partners in Southeast Asia.
Both agreements allow the negotiation of additional orders and the donation or sale of doses (without markup) to other countries or international organizations. If both vaccines are successful, Australia will have around 30 million replacement doses.
