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Summary
- Canada will start receiving AstraZeneca drugs from April, to be produced at US plants.
- Canada has ordered 20 million doses from AstraZeneca.
- Canada now has three COVID-19 drugs: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
Canadian health authorities on Friday approved a COVID-19 vaccine from the British-Swedish drug-maker AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) following local trials.
The drug, developed in collaboration with the Oxford University, was found to be above 61 per cent effective during trials, and had no safety issues, officials told reporters. The drug is suitable for use for 18 years and above, they added.
The company will deliver 20 million doses to Canada for vaccinations in the next few months.
Earlier, giving a status report, Canada's chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma told a parliamentary committee that the authorities have received all required information about the drug.
Meanwhile, the company has been asked to provide monthly safety reports to Health Canada.
This is the third COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Canadian government. The two other drugs are from Pfizer and Moderna companies.
The European Union, the UK, and Australia have already approved the drug. Britain approved it in December, while the EU and the World Health Organization cleared its use this year.
Pic Credit: Pixabay.
AstraZeneca Delivery Schedule
The drug for Canada shipment will be produced at its plants in the US and will be delivered between April and September, according to officials. Canada will receive additional 1.9 million COVID vaccines through the international drug sharing program COVAX by June.
The AstraZeneca drug is administered in two doses, like other COVID-19 drugs in the market. But Johnson & Johnson company has revealed this week that it has developed a new drug that will need just one shot per patient, and it was found to 72 per cent effective during US trials.
Around 700,000 people have been vaccinated so far with Pfizer and Moderna drugs in Canada.
The shares of the company were trading at US$48.34 at 10:10 am ET on Friday, down by 1.17 per cent from the previous close. AstraZeneca has a market cap of 128 billion.
