Pharmaceutical company CSL Ltd said on Monday that it had agreed to make a COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford if the trials are successful, with doses expected for Australia in early 2021.
The company also said that it had agreed with the Australian government to manufacture a potential alternative vaccine that it is developing with the University of Queensland (UQ), and that the first doses of that vaccine are expected in mid-2021.
The supply deals come as Australia faces a second wave of infections in the state of Victoria. Australia has recorded more than 26,000 infections and 753 deaths.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to announce the government’s supply agreements for both candidate vaccines with the respective companies later Monday.
CSL expects to manufacture about 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia, supported by government funding, it said in a statement.
The AstraZeneca candidate is considered one of the pioneers in a global race to provide an effective vaccine against coronavirus.
Under its agreement with the government, CSL expects to supply 51 million doses of the UQ vaccine by mid-2021 if the trials are successful. The potential vaccine is currently in phase 1 clinical trials.
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