As AstraZeneca approaches European authorization for its long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine, the drugmaker has notified employees that initial shipments will come lighter than initially expected.
Two publications in German, Bild and oe24, report that AZ notified EU authorities this week that first quarter deliveries will be below expectations. An AstraZeneca spokesman attributed the drop to “reduced yields at a plant within our European supply chain”
“We will be supplying tens of millions of doses in February and March to the European Union, as we continue to increase production volumes,” she said.
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The news came after AstraZeneca requested European authorization for its Oxford partner vaccine earlier this month. The company’s vaccine could gain European authorization in late January, according to reports. So far, Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines have received European green lights.
In a phase 3 clinical trial, the AstraZeneca vaccine was 70% effective overall, but a dosing error in some participants produced a superior efficacy result. For trial participants who received a half dose followed by a full dose, the effectiveness was 90%. For those who received two full doses, the effectiveness was 62%. The results raised questions about the vaccine and prompted AZ to conduct another trial.
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Meanwhile, reducing the dose of British pharmaceuticals in the first quarter adds to the pain of reduced deliveries of Pfizer / BioNTech injected into the EU this week, as these companies work to increase manufacturing capacity. Some countries have resisted the slowdown, although manufacturers say an upgrade of the plant will allow them to produce many more doses in 2021.