By Laura Kemp • Published: 12 Nov 2021 • 17:33
AstraZeneca breaks non-profit promise and starts to profit from vaccine. image: AstraZeneca press
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) has said it will begin to earn a modest profit, causing people to claim it has broken its promise of being a non-for-profit in the fight against Covid, with the drugmaker now in talks with several countries about new orders for 2022.
During a press conference today, November 12, AstraZeneca committed to low-income nations continuing to receive the doses on a non-profit basis, however, a post-pandemic commercial approach will apply to new orders – with cases rising in Europe.
“We started this project to help… but we also said that at some stage in the future, we will transition to commercial orders,” Chief Executive Pascal Soriot told journalists.
“It will never be high priced. Because we want the vaccine to remain affordable to everybody around the world,” he added.
Soriot said the virus is becoming endemic, meaning that the level of infections is a part of everyday life.
According to Soriot, the company is in talks with undisclosed countries about new orders that will mostly be delivered in 2022, with some countries focusing on booster shots.
This week, AstraZeneca announced plans to set up a separate unit that will focus on fighting Covid and other respiratory infections. Today it said that this unit will independently manage distribution and production.
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Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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