(Adds details from AP interview with White House advisor,
AstraZeneca statement, background)
WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - The United States will
start to share up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca Plc's
coronavirus vaccine with other countries as they become
available, White House senior COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt said
on Monday.
"U.S. to release 60 million AstraZeneca doses to other
countries as they become available," he wrote on Twitter.
The Associated Press earlier on Monday reported the doses
would be shared in coming months following their clearance by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the move.
The Biden administration in March said it would send roughly
4 million doses of the British drugmaker's vaccine to Canada and
Mexico, and is under growing pressure now to expand sharing of
its stockpile with India and other countries.
White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients told the AP
that about 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were
ready to go and needed to pass a final FDA review, likely in the
next several weeks.
He said about 50 million more doses are in "various stages
of production" and could ship in May and June.
The United States is looking at options to share the
AstraZeneca doses because the vaccine has not yet been
authorized for U.S. use by the FDA and will not be needed by
states during the next several months, he told the AP.
An AstraZeneca spokeswoman could not comment on specifics of
the arrangement, but said the doses were part of its supply
commitments to the U.S. government. "Decisions to send U.S.
supply to other countries are made by the U.S. government," she
said.
The AP reported that the doses were made at the Emergent
BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, which came under
harsh criticism for a long list of cleanliness and manufacturing
problems found during an FDA inspection.
AstraZeneca is no longer making vaccine at that plant after
a batch of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine was ruined by
contamination with ingredients from the AstraZeneca shot.
J&J is now overseeing production of its vaccine at the
Emergent plant.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Caroline Humer; Editing by Tim
Ahmann and Bill Berkrot)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
