Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Giant Tapped To Produce A Billion Vaccine Shots For World's Poorest Populations
The Wall Street Journal: Vaccine Giant Promises A Billion Covid Shots For Poor Countries
An Indian drug giant, little-known outside the vaccine world, has agreed to make and distribute a billion doses of a yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine—a move aimed at providing pandemic protection to the world’s poorest. AstraZeneca this week tapped Serum Institute of India, or SII, to be part of a global manufacturing and distribution network for a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by University of Oxford researchers. Under the agreement, SII would be the main contract manufacturer for low- and middle-income countries and produce one billion doses—400 million of those this year—if the vaccine proves safe and effective. (Bellman, 6/6)
Reuters: Oxford Biomedica Eyes UK Supply Boost Of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine
Oxford Biomedica has signed a new manufacturing agreement with a group backed by the UK government to help it scale up production of AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine to cater to demand in the United Kingdom and Europe. The gene and cell therapy firm said on Monday it agreed to a five-year partnership with the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) for equipment at its facility in Oxford, UK which would also help it make other vaccines. (6/8)
Reuters: AstraZeneca Shares Down 2% After Report It Approached Gilead Over Tie-Up
Shares in Britain’s AstraZeneca fell 2.1% in early trades on Monday after a report it had approached U.S. rival Gilead Sciences about a possible merger to form one the world’s largest drug companies.If combined, the two companies would have a market capitalisation of about $232 billion, based on Friday’s closing share prices. A merger would also unite two drugmakers at the forefront of efforts to fight the new coronavirus but could be politically sensitive as governments seek control over potential vaccines or treatments. (6/8)
The New York Times: U.K. Lab To Sidestep Drug Industry To Sell Potential Virus Vaccine
A prominent British laboratory is forming a special partnership that would sidestep the drug industry to sell a potential vaccine against the coronavirus without profits or licensing fees in Britain and in low- and middle-income countries. Scientists, nonprofit groups and public health experts have urged that any successful vaccine to combat the pandemic be distributed at the lowest possible cost and on the basis of need rather than profit. But for-profit drug giants or biotechnology start-ups have dominated the development race, especially in the United States, a vital market because of its high drug prices. (Kirkpatrick, 6/7)
NBC News: COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Bring Hope For Many But Come Too Late For This Family
For Jeff Nearby, talk of a possible vaccine for COVID-19 feels bittersweet. More than a thousand miles from his home in Staten Island, where he lives with his two daughters, experiments are underway that could bear fruit. He hopes a vaccine will be developed. But for Nearby and his twin daughters — Samantha and Rebecca, 14 years old — the research can no longer succeed soon enough. (Engel and Shakib, 6/7)
