US orders 300 million doses of coronavirus vaccine. When could they be ready?
The U.S. has pledged over $1.2 billion to develop 300 million doses of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
Almost a third of the doses from drugmaker AstraZeneca were secured by the U.S. after President Donald Trump demanded a vaccine, according to Reuters.
“This contract with AstraZeneca is a major milestone in Operation Warp Speed’s work toward a safe, effective, widely available vaccine by 2021,” U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar said in a news release. “Getting a vaccine to the American public as soon as possible is one part of President Trump’s multi-faceted strategy for safely reopening our country and bringing life back to normal, which is essential to Americans’ physical and mental well-being in so many ways.”
The vaccine is being developed by the University of Oxford and licensed to AstraZeneca, CBS News reported.
A Phase 3 clinical trial with 30,000 participants and a pediatric component is supported by AstraZeneca and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, CBS reported.
AstraZeneca said in a release that it has manufacturing capacity for 1 billion doses and has finished agreements for at least 400 million doses, with deliveries planned for September. A Phase 1/Phase 2 clinical trial began in April with the data expected “shortly,” according to the company.
President Trump unveiled his effort, called “Operation Warp Speed,” to try to fast-track the development of a coronavirus vaccine by January, NPR reported.
“We’re looking to get it by the end of the year if we can, maybe before,” Trump said on Friday, according to NPR.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said during a March 30 briefing that he thinks the vaccine will be ready for the public in 12 to 18 months.
“If we start seeing an efficacy signal, we may be able to even use a vaccine at the next season,” he said. “So things are going to be very, very different.”
Fauci has also warned about rushing a vaccine before it’s ready.
Fauci recently testified before Congress, saying there could be repercussions to rushing vaccine trials, McClatchy News reported.
“I must warn that there’s also the possibility of negative consequences where certain vaccines can actually enhance the negative effect of the infection,” he said. “The big unknown is efficacy. Will it be present or absent, and how durable will it be.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 12:26 PM with the headline "US orders 300 million doses of coronavirus vaccine. When could they be ready?."