KUALA LUMPUR: KUALA LUMPUR: With Malaysia and AstraZeneca having entered an agreement for the supply of 6.4 million doses of the University of Oxford's potential Covid-19 vaccine called AZD1222, the company confirms they are providing the vaccine at no profit.
"AstraZeneca is proud to reinforce our commitment to Malaysia and support the Government's Covid-19 vaccine strategy by providing 6.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca/University of Oxford's potential vaccine, AZD1222, at no profit during the period of the pandemic," said Dr Sanjeev Panchal.
The Country President of AstraZeneca Malaysia said he was grateful for the guidance and leadership provided by the Malaysian government and looked forward to deepening cooperation in fighting Covid-19.
"When the Government, private sector and academia join hands, so much can be achieved to protect people's lives and build a healthier Malaysia," he said.
First deliveries of the potential vaccine are expected in the first half of 2021.
Under this agreement, AstraZeneca will expand its global manufacturing capacity to ensure dedicated supply of AZD1222 for Malaysia.
"This takes place in parallel to the ongoing clinical trials in the US, UK, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and Russia," the company said in a statement today.
Results of an interim analysis of the Phase III programme conducted by Oxford University with AZD1222, peer-reviewed and published in The Lancet on Dec 8 2020, demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 and that it protects against severe disease and hospitalisation, it added.
"To ensure that the potential vaccine lives up to the highest safety standards and its introduction complies with the healthcare regulations of Malaysia, the Ministry of Health Malaysia, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and AstraZeneca are working together on the preparations for swift and science-led regulatory approval.
"AstraZeneca is working with the University of Oxford, governments, leading health organisations such as WHO, CEPI and GAVI and manufacturers to provide the vaccine broadly, equitably and at no profit during this pandemic.
"The Advance Purchase Agreement for Malaysia complements hundreds of millions of doses of AZD1222 that are being made available through the COVAX Facility, to which the Government of Malaysia is a partner," AstraZeneca said.
With various companies manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines, it was earlier reported that Pfizer would implement tiered pricing for its vaccine, with the price to differ between middle income countries based on their respective GDP.