The world has been closely following the race to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, and the latest news is the agreement between AstraZeneca and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the United States.
The collaboration between AstraZeneca and BARDA aims to accelerate the development and production of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The agreement guarantees funding of up to $1.2 billion for the development, manufacturing, and delivery of the vaccine, which will be made available to the US population for free.
AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical company, has been working on a vaccine in partnership with the University of Oxford. The vaccine, currently in phase 3 trials, is based on a weakened version of the common cold virus (adenovirus) that has been genetically modified to include the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. The aim is to stimulate an immune response to the coronavirus without causing illness.
With the BARDA agreement, AstraZeneca will be able to scale up the manufacturing of the vaccine to produce hundreds of millions of doses by early 2021. The vaccine will be produced in the United States and will be made available to the US population first.
The agreement with BARDA is not the first collaboration for AstraZeneca in the fight against COVID-19. The company has also partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to produce and distribute the vaccine globally, especially to low- and middle-income countries.
The agreement with BARDA is a significant step in the race to develop a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19. With the funding and resources provided by BARDA, AstraZeneca can continue to develop and produce the vaccine on a larger scale, with the goal of making it widely available to the public.
In conclusion, the collaboration between AstraZeneca and BARDA shows the importance of public-private partnerships in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement provides hope that a vaccine will soon be available to the public, and that it will be accessible to all, regardless of their ability to pay.