AstraZeneca: New covid-19 vaccine expected in January next year

The coronavirus vaccine is expected to be available within two months, according to pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.


The vaccine is currently in late-stage trials in the US, UK and other countries to determine its safety and efficacy. Once those results are published, regulators will approve the vaccine for widespread use.


AstraZeneca said the company will analyze data from its vaccine trials in November and December. The company's Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot said Thursday that if the trial results look encouraging, the company will move quickly to increase production levels and gain approval from the U.S. and other regional governments.


Soriot said on Thursday's earnings call, "We are prepared to deliver hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine worldwide by January of next year."

AstraZeneca and Oxford University have been testing the vaccine in the U.S. for weeks. The trial was suspended for a time in September after one participant had an adverse reaction, and restarted last month.


AstraZeneca and Oxford's covid-19 vaccine has been one of the leading vaccines in development.