Pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca has announced that it delivered about 68 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine during the first three months of 2021.
The drugmaker also reported $275 million in revenue from sales of the vaccine,;which experts say, is equivalent to $4.04 per dose. This means the company made a loss of three cents a share on the vaccine in the first quarter. However, officials say the company expects to break even on the vaccine in the long run.
AstraZeneca has pledged that it will deliver the vaccine on a non-profit basis as long as the pandemic lasts.
Breaking down the distribution, the company said 30 million doses of the vaccine went to the European Union, 26 million to the UK, 7 million to GAVI, an alliance that secures vaccines for low-income countries, and 5 million to other nations.
The vaccine was developed;by;researchers at Oxford University, who licensed;the technology to AstraZeneca in an effort to tap into the company’s global manufacturing and distribution capacity.
Regulators in several jurisdictions, including the UK, European Union and India have authorized the widespread use of the vaccine. 68 million
However, recently, there have;been;concerns that the AstraZeneca vaccine may be linked to rare blood clots. These concerns have led some countries to recommend that it should not be used in younger people.
AstraZeneca doing its ‘very best’ to produce more
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca’s Chief Executive, Pascal Soriot, has defended the drugmaker’s Covid-19 vaccine production efforts amid reports of shortages in supply.
The company is currently facing legal action from the EU over delivery shortfalls and Covax shipments have also been delayed.
Addressing reporters, Soriot said AstraZeneca should be proud of what it has done for the world and the company is doing its “very best” to produce more.
“We don’t regret anything. We haven’t been perfect but we did the very best, we should be proud of what we did in the world.”
He added that AstraZeneca was doing its “very best to produce as much as we can”, but explained that this depended on how much the cell cultures in its factories yielded.
“We can’t tell the cells in the bioreactors to produce more. The cycle to make the vaccine is a very long one, so that’s the limitation”.
The AstraZeneca CEO also pointed out that in India, where Covid cases have soared, more than 90% of vaccinations are made using the AstraZeneca jab.
“Imagine what India would look like if we had not stepped up? The world needs this vaccine”.
However, far fewer doses than expected have been delivered through Covax, as a result of export bans, hoarding and supply shortages. The Indian government has also restricted exports from the Serum Institute, which produces the AstraZeneca jab, as the country battles a deadly second wave.
Commenting on the issue, Soriot said he understood the Indian government’s decision to prioritize its own population. He also averred that he doesn’t know when India’s export ban will end.
“This pandemic in India has really exploded and it’s something that has caught many by surprise. It’s not clear yet when it will be possible to export again from India”.
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