The British pharmaceutical group, AstraZeneca, expected today, Friday, the results of the effectiveness of a vaccine it is working with with the University of Oxford against the emerging corona virus in September.
It was decided not to wait for the results to launch production in order to buy time. "We will start production of this vaccine as of now, and be ready when the results are released," Pascal Suryo, the group's general manager, told BBC Radio.
This option involves a "financial risk", but "this is the only way to have a vaccine available if the experiment is successful."
The University of Oxford, whose project is funded by the British government, has partnered with pharmaceutical laboratories to manufacture a vaccine under development and distribute it around the world. Human trials began at the end of last April in Britain and Brazil, which has become the "epidemic center", according to Suryo.
And AstraZeneca signed agreements with supply networks in parallel, one with the Serum Institute of India to obtain 1 billion doses destined for middle or low income countries to double production capacity and reach the threshold of two billion doses.
On Thursday, the group announced an agreement worth 750 million dollars with two international specialized groups, Sibi and Ghafi, to make 300 million doses and distribute them, with delivery to begin at the end of this year.
In conclusion, about 10 research on different vaccines have reached the stage of clinical trials in the world.