AstraZeneca signs up to deliver hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines

Only days after Moderna reported positive early results for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca has stolen the spotlight back. On Thursday, the U.K. drug giant scored a $1.2 billion contribution from the United States for development, production and delivery of its potential shot starting this fall.

The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, contains the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It isn’t replicating, so it can’t cause an ongoing infection in recipients, AZ says. The company hopes the vaccine can deliver a strong immune response from one dose by triggering the body to produce the spike protein and attack the novel coronavirus upon infection.

AstraZeneca has signed up to deliver 400 million doses through its initial supply agreements. The United States deal—through the HHS' BARDA agency—follows a U.K. pact unveiled Sunday for 100 million total doses. That gives the U.S. delivery of about 300 million vaccine doses starting this fall.

And last week, the Oxford vaccine posted positive data in a preclinical challenge study. A single dose induced a humoral and cellular immune response in rhesus macaques, researchers said, and no pneumonia was observed in the macaques that received the vaccine.

On Sunday, U.K. Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma said the drugmaker agreed to distribute 30 million doses to the U.K. in September, and 100 million total. The U.K. “will be first to get access” if the vaccine is successful, Sharma said at a briefing.

Aside from AstraZeneca, other global drug giants and biotechs are advancing vaccines, with Moderna generating considerable buzz this week with its initial human data. Still, experts warn there is a way to go for any promising program.