Adenoviruses cause mild infections in humans. Scientists know how to genetically engineer SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens. These are foreign substances including the spike protein that coronaviruses deploy to invade human cells. Adenoviruses in vaccines could therefore trigger immune responses to COVID-19. Now AstraZeneca is planning to produce two billion doses of an adenovirus vaccine.
Agreement to Produce Two Billion Doses of an Adenovirus Vaccine
University of Oxford, England is testing an adenovirus using the randomized, placebo-controlled method. Moreover, on April 30, 2020 it announced an agreement with AstraZeneca. This is to develop the product further, for large-scale manufacture and potential distribution.
AstraZeneca will therefore start producing two billion doses of the adenovirus vaccine before release of test results. Business Insider expects four million doses will be available by end 2020. It says AstraZeneca is pushing ahead to shrink the timeline in case the tests are positive.
Three Hundred Thousand Doses Will Be in Public Domain
World Health Organization and Bill and Melinda Gates are pumping $750 million into a plan to democratize the Oxford vaccine. AstraZeneca spokesperson Pascal Soriot told BBC the company ‘does not seek to make a profit’. Moreover, one billion doses of the adenovirus vaccine will go to low- and middle-income countries.
AstraZeneca produces treatments for cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation. It is a joint British-Swedish initiative with headquarters in Cambridge, England. The company began distributing nine million face masks to international health organizations in March 2020.
However, we will only know if the Oxford adenovirus is effective in August 2020 when tests are complete. Spokesperson Pascal Soriot says his company is developing supply chains across the word. That’s because they want ‘to support global access without profit’. Meanwhile we watch and wait. There is no precedent for producing a vaccine on this scale.
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