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LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca and Oxford
University aim to produce the next generation of COVID-19
vaccines that will protect against variants as soon as the
autumn, a senior executive at the British drugmaker said on
Wednesday.
Asked when AstraZeneca could produce a next generation
vaccine to tackle new variants, AstraZeneca research chief Mene
Pangalos said "as rapidly as possible".
"We're working very hard and we're already talking about not
just the variants that we have to make in laboratories, but also
the clinical studies that we need to run," he said in a briefing
with media.
"We're very much aiming to try and have something ready by
the autumn, so this year."
The partners are getting close to having data on the
efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccine on older adults, Professor
Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Kate Kelland; Writing by
Josephine Mason; Editing by Toby Chopra)
