Covid-19: UK PM Boris Johnson Optimistic About Vaccine to Hit the Market Soon

Summary

• UK PM Boris Johnson is hoping the Covid-19 vaccine AZD1222 to hit the market sometime soon
• AstraZeneca has reached advance stages of vaccine development
• Vaccine might get all the mandatory approvals by the end of 2020

The economic catastrophe induced by the coronavirus pandemic has led most of the businesses to fine-tune their revenue models and strategies to hedge against future pandemics. The pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare sector have been under the spotlight because of the pandemic. The world has underpinned high hopes on the sector as it looks forward to a speedy recovery.

Several potential vaccines are being tested across the globe to find a cure for this pandemic. Most of the pharmaceuticals majors have announced the roll out of the coronavirus vaccine by mid of 2021.

The experimental vaccine of British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca has been one of the world's leading candidates and the most advanced in terms of development. The company has signed agreements with various countries to supply the vaccine once it gets the approval for use.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister has underpinned high hopes on AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and expects a speedy rollout of the virus vaccine. Johnson, on his visit to Oxford at the Jenner Institute, said the scientists are doing incredible work and might be on the verge of achieving success. He also stated that proper testing is also required for it to be safe and effective. The vaccine could get the required clearances by Christmas this year.

Notably, AstraZeneca Plc (LON: AZN) has signed several agreements with UK, EU, and other countries to supply millions of doses of the potential vaccine. The British government has signed an agreement with the AstraZeneca to procure 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The doses are being manufactured beforehand so that after the potential vaccine clears all the regulatory stages, it does not take much time to make it available for inoculation. Industry experts believe that a full vaccine roll-out programme could take up to six months post approval from the regulatory authorities. UK’s greatest asset, the NHS (National Health Service) aims to provide the potential vaccine for the masses.

Serum Institute of India had signed a deal with AstraZeneca to produce the Covid-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford for low-and-middle-income countries. And it is now at the last phase of the process of creating a vaccine that helps in reducing the effect of the Covid-19 virus. Phase II clinical trial of the Oxford vaccine in India, over 1,600 candidates participated.

As per the latest reports, the vaccine will hit the market soon and the earliest doses will be available for the general masses from December. The Covid-19 vaccine development backed by the UK based drug maker and the Oxford University is currently in progress after a brief halting discovery of the Covid-19 vaccine.

To know more, do read: AstraZeneca Rekindles the Hope of Vaccine After A Voluntary Halt in Late-Stage Trial

The stock of AZN was trading at GBX 8,342.00 on 7 October 2020 at 9:41 AM, up by 0.28 per cent from its previous close of GBX 8,317.00. The 52-week low/high price range recorded by the stock was GBX 6,221.00/9,320.00. The British drugmaker's total outstanding market capitalisation stood at £109,143.68 million. From the starting of 2020 to date, AZN shares gave a price return of 8.58 percent.

Deals Signed by the UK Government for Covid-19 Vaccines

• In July, the British government signed a deal for 60 million doses of the potential coronavirus vaccine with UK’s GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LON: GSK) and France’s pharma company Sanofi Pasteur. The vaccine can hit the market during the first half of 2021.

• GSK had joined forces with Sanofi for the creation of the Covid-19 vaccine and has already begun the first and second stages of human medical trials in America.

Also Read: GSK And Sanofi Proceed With Human Trials Of Potential Covid-19 Vaccine

The stock of GSK was trading at GBX 1,423.60 on 7 October at 9:43 AM, down by 0.43 per cent from its previous close of 1,430.00. The 52-week low/high price range recorded by the stock was GBX 1,374.60/1,846.00. GSK’s total outstanding market capitalisation stood at £71,748.47 million. From the starting of 2020 to date, GSK shares provided a price return of -19.54 percent.

• The British government has signed up millions of vaccines with Valneva and BioNTech/Pfizer and is expected to invest in R&D facilities.

• The UK Government secured another agreement in August with the US pharma companies Johnson & Johnson and Novavax to supply 362 million doses.

Conclusion

With the increase in coronavirus cases and the fear of the second wave doing the rounds, the need for a vaccine becomes very crucial. Though the research work and clinical trials are going on, yet the rollout of the vaccine for usage by the masses seems difficult by the end of this year. But all hopes are now on the early development of the vaccine.