AstraZeneca Set to Roll Out Covid-19 Vaccine in September if Trials Go Well

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is currently targeting to produce 2 billion doses of a coronavirus vaccine that is currently producing good results in clinical trials with more than 50,000 volunteers taking part.

Targeted at a September or October rollout, AstraZeneca is aiming to distribute 400 million doses of the promising medication for the U.S. and U.K., and 1 billion for low- and middle-income countries.

AstraZeneca is working with pharmaceutical industry partners to manufacture and distribute the drug, AZD1222, that was originally developed by Oxford University in the U.K.

Given the global need for the vaccine, manufacturing and clinical trials are set to occur concurrently, an unprecedented move on behalf of AstraZeneca, given the risk that the results of the trials may show the drug doesn’t work and could result in massive losses for the pharmaceutical company.