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(Journalist)
– AstraZeneca couldn’t have bigger plans for its coronavirus vaccine. The company intends to make its vaccine available in all regions of the world and plans to produce 3 billion doses to make this possible. The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, could prove to be more convenient, easier to ship and much cheaper – $ 3 to $ 5 a dose – than its competitors. These selling points have helped AstraZeneca secure deals with governments and manufacturing and distribution partners around the world, the the Wall Street newspaper reports. Analysts say the drugmaker is on track to become the leading vaccine supplier in the developing world, able to serve populations that are poor, hard to reach and without access to health care. AstraZeneca said on Monday that once it receives regulatory approval, it could have millions of doses ready in the first quarter of next year.
As long as the coronavirus outbreak is considered a pandemic, the company has said it will not make any profit from vaccine sales. Doctors Without Borders said on Tuesday it wanted to see evidence, according to Reuters. The medical organization wants AstraZeneca to release its government contracts, fearing it will only keep the price down until the company decides the emergency is over. Doctors Without Borders “welcomes AstraZeneca’s commitment to sell the vaccine at a” not-for-profit “price during the pandemic,” the group said, “but the reality is that it is an empty promise unless we can’t back up these important claims with data. ”The company said it would seek international consensus before declaring the pandemic over. “From the outset, AstraZeneca’s approach has been to treat vaccine development as a response to a global public health emergency, not a business opportunity,” said a spokesperson. (Read more AstraZeneca stories.)
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