AGREEMENT TO BUY OXFORD VACCINE IF IT WORKS
The Morrison government has confirmed today that every Australian will receive a free coronavirus vaccine dose.
The Federal government has signed an agreement to secure a minimum of 25 million doses with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. CSL will produce the vaccine in Australia.
The project could deliver the first vaccines to Australians by the end of this year, or by early 2021.
The deal with AstraZeneca, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, will ensure Australians will be among the first in the world to receive the Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine if human trials are judged as successful, safe and effective.
Planning includes a $24.7 million deal with American medical technology giant Becton Dickinson to secure 100 million needles and syringes. Priority candidates for the first doses will probably include over-60s and Australians with co-morbidities such as asthma, heart disease, transplant recipients and cancer patients.
The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising in the world. It stared Phase 3 trials in Brazil and South Africa in early July; we expect early information as to whether if can prevent COVID-19 by early September.
It is important to note, that while Phase 1 and 2 trials have been promising, there is no guarantee that the Phase 3 trials will be successful.
