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UK pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca's recent tie-up with the Serum Institute of India is a major step towards the goal of broad and equitable global access to a potential Covid-19 vaccine.
AstraZeneca, the Cambridge-headquartered British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant, recently declared a major step in its commitment to an equitable global access to the University of Oxford's potential Covid-19 vaccine with a landmark agreement with the Serum Institute of India (SII).
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The licensing agreement with SII involves the supply of 1 billion doses for low-and-middle-income countries, with a commitment to provide 400 million doses before the end of 2020. The company said it marked an important step in building multiple supply chains in parallel across the world to support worldwide access at no profit during the coronavirus pandemic. “We are working tirelessly to honour our commitment to ensure broad and equitable access to Oxford's vaccine across the globe and at no profit,” said Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca. “It marks an important step in helping us supply hundreds of millions of people around the world, including to those in countries with the lowest means,” he said, in reference to the SII pact.
The vaccine currently undergoing fast-track trials at the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute is at the forefront of the world's hopes for a possible solution to its enforced lockdown due to a deadly virus that has left no region unscathed.
AstraZeneca had already agreed to supply 400 million doses to the US and UK after reaching a licence agreement with Oxford University for its potential vaccine.
