The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca secured today the first agreements for 400 million vaccines against covid-19, supported by an investment by the US vaccine agency.
The Anglo-Swedish company announced that it had received more than $ 1 billion from the American Authority for Advanced Research and Biomedical Development for the development, production and distribution of the vaccine, starting in the fall.
The investment will accelerate the development and production of the vaccine, said AstraZeneca’s executive director, Pascal Soriot.
“We will do everything in our power to have this vaccine available quickly,” he added.
Pharmaceutical companies, also including Moderna and Sanofi, are in the race to develop and produce the vaccine against the new coronavirus, whose experts say it is crucial to allow countries to ease confinement and restrictions on public life.
In a statement at the opening of the markets, AstraZeneca said that the production capacity for one billion doses is now assured and hopes to reach new agreements to expand capacity over the next few months, in order to “guarantee the global distribution of the vaccine ”.
The company also finalized the license agreement with the University of Oxford for the vaccine, known as AZD1222.
The vaccine was developed by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Oxford Vaccine Group.
Globally, according to a report by the AFP news agency, the covid-19 pandemic has already claimed more than 328,000 deaths and infected more than five million people in 196 countries and territories.
More than 1.8 million patients were considered cured.
Portugal today records 1,277 deaths related to covid-19, 14 more than on Wednesday, and 29,912 infected, 252 more, according to the epidemiological bulletin released today by the Directorate-General for Health.
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