The coronavirus vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which is one of the most anticipated Covid-19 vaccines in the race so far, could turn a profit for the pharmaceutical company around July, according to a report.
On the other hand, Australia’s largest biotech company, CSL Ltd, has reached an agreement to obtain 30 million doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for Australia.
Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in India have crossed the 68 lakh mark with a new peak of more than 78,000 new cases as of Thursday. The death toll from Covid-19 also passed the 1 lakh mark in India and reached 1.05 lakh.
ASTRAZENECA BENEFITS
According to a report by The Financial Times, AstraZeneca could start benefiting from its Covid-19 vaccine in July next year. The report has cited a memo showing that the British pharmaceutical company can declare when it considers the pandemic to be over.
AstraZeneca, a London-listed pharmaceutical company, had previously said it would not benefit from the vaccine “during the pandemic.” The FT report now contradicts the company’s claims and attributes the development to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed this year between AstraZeneca and the Brazilian public health organization Fiocruz.
AstraZeneca, which is developing the coronavirus vaccine with the University of Oxford, has signed multiple supply and manufacturing agreements for more than 3 billion doses globally, although details on the terms have been scant.
KICKBACK FOR SPUTNIK V IN INDIA
While Russia has claimed to have manufactured the world’s first coronavirus vaccine and named it Sputnik V, it has been met with much skepticism around the world. In India, a panel of experts from the Central Control Organization for Standard Medicines (CDSCO) has asked Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to submit a revised protocol for conducting phase 2 and phase 3 human clinical trials for the Russian vaccine against Covid-19, Sputnik V.
The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company had submitted an application to the Controller General of Medicines of India (DCGI) late last week, requesting permission to conduct phase 3 human clinical trials of the Russian vaccine.
India’s drug regulator rejected Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd’s proposal to conduct a large study in the country to evaluate Russia’s Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine and asked it to first test the vaccine in a smaller trial, Reuters reported. .
Recommendations from the Central Drug Control Organization (CDSCO) expert panel noted that safety and immunogenicity data from early stage studies conducted abroad are small, with no information available on Indian participants .
India’s move marks a setback for Russia’s plan to launch the vaccine even before full trials show how well it works, while delaying its efforts to get the vaccine approved in the world-leading country. in average number of new infections.
ASTRAZENECA FOR AUSTRALIA
Meanwhile, CSL, which is Australia’s largest biotech company, has reached an agreement to obtain 30 million doses of the candidate vaccine following its success for the Australian population.
Following the announcement, shares in Australia’s CSL Ltd rose 2.4%, its best session in two weeks, according to Reuters.
The Australian government agreed to an advance payment to support the clinical and technical development of the coronavirus vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca.
(With contributions from the agency)
