Oxford / AZ vaccine23 Nov 2020 21:24
"This past week was an action packed in terms of COVID-19 vaccine news from Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) - Bloomberg. All of them have reported positive data on their vaccine safety and efficacy, raising hopes of availability of a potential safe COVID-19 vaccine by end of December or January next year. Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine also showed a strong immune response in older adults in Phase-2 clinical. Findings from the final stage of AZN's vaccine studies are due to be released shortly.
While wealthy nations are targeting first supplies of the Pfizer and Moderna shots, many other regions are depending heavily on the following front-runners, especially AstraZeneca, Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). Oxford-AstraZeneca shots accounts for more than 40% of the supplies going to lower and middle-income nations, based on deals tracked by London-based research firm Airfinity Ltd. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine costs a fraction of Pfizer vaccine and will be manufactured in multiple countries, from India to Brazil. It should be easier to deploy far and wide than other shots that need to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures.
AstraZeneca has earlier said it won’t profit during the pandemic and that the vaccine will cost between $4 and $5 a dose compared to the Pfizer/BioNTech shot priced at $19.50 a dose, or $39 for a two-shot immunization. Moderna intends to charge $32 to $37 a dose for smaller deals and less for bigger purchases. “There’s a lot riding on the Astra vaccine,” said Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. For lower-income countries, “it’s huge.”
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine also has advantages beyond cost. Their product is said to be easier to transport and store.
The vaccine can be kept at refrigerator temperatures, while those from PFE and MRNA, require freezing for longer-term storage and transport. AstraZeneca has reached an agreement to supply the initiative, while a collaboration including the Serum Institute of India agreed to accelerate the production of Astra or Novavax shots for low and middle-income countries.
If approved by the U.K. government, Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may get emergency use authorization (EUA) in India. The Phase 3 clinical trials of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should be over by January/February 2021, said Dr VK Paul chairman of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19."
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3638538-all-eyes-on-astrazeneca-oxford-shot-after-strong-pfizer-moderna-results?
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