AstraZeneca to ramp up vaccine production for new Covid strains

AstraZeneca is set to ramp up production and adaptation of its Covid-19 vaccine, designed to help tackle new variants of the virus, with the hope of completing its project three months earlier than expected.

New strains of the disease have been detected in countries such as the UK and South Africa, which has resulted in other vaccine players also preparing clinical trials and attempting to amend their vaccines to deal with the new variants of the virus.

Read more: Moderna develop new vaccine to tackle new Covid stains

The company hopes to be able to slash the time needed to mass-produce a vaccine to deal with these new strains to six months.

Recent clinical trials suggested AstraZeneca's vaccine, which was developed alongside the University of Oxford, was less effective against the strain detected in South Africa.

The vaccine, which requires a cell to culture for weeks, is also less easy to develop than its mRNA counterparts.

Clinical studies have shown similar vaccines still offer decent protection against these newer strains, but AstraZeneca itself has yet to publish any findings publicly.

Regardless, the company has grown by 12% for Q42020, seeing a $7 billion (€5.77 billion) increase in sales.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was recently given a boost by the World Health Organisation (WHO) when it approved use of the vaccine in people of all ages, not just the 18+ guidelines associated with the other major vaccine players.

The company recently slowed down production of their vaccine temporarily in order to allow them to significantly ramp up production to meet increased demand.

The pharmaceutical giant is currently embroiled in a scuffle the EU over supposed issues delivering their agreed-upon vaccine quantities, which AstraZeneca blame on supply chain delays following its approval for rollout.

AstraZeneca agreed to supply the bloc with 300 million doses within the next few months, with an additional option for 100 million more.

As a result, the EC drafted a vaccine export ban that would have muddied the water between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and led to a potential violation of the Good Friday Agreement.

EC President von der Leyen claimed responsibility for the event, who was hoping to allow the EC to assign particular areas for focus regarding vaccine distribution.

Read more: EC President claims responsbility for Irish-UK vaccine export ban

AstraZeneca has set its sights on producing at least one billion doses of its vaccine by the end of the year.

This will more than allow it to meet the demand set on it from nations it has deals with to supply vaccines.

However, there are still concerns over developed nations supposedly hoarding vaccines over developing nations, where the mortality rate is far higher.

Activist groups have called on governments such as Canada for actively taking away vaccine supply from poorer nations, although many of these nations will come under the EU's global initiative, meaning it is likely they will receive vaccine aid at some point, even if response is significantly delayed but the current supply issues.

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