AstraZeneca COVID-19 vax seen getting emergency nod within days

 

• The British and Indian governments are likely to grant the emergency use approval for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate from AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) within ‘a few days,’ according to the local manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India.
• “You will be hearing some good news from the UK very soon,” Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the company, has told reporters, adding that the approval in India will follow shortly. The Indian regulator is considering similar approvals for Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/ BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) vaccine as the country expects 600M coronavirus shots in the next 6 – 8 months.
• The vaccine from Pfizer/ BioNTech has already been cleared for emergency use in the U.K. 
• Though many countries in Asia have taken a back seat in granting approvals for COVID-19 jabs, India, with the second-highest coronavirus cases in the World, appears to be on track to become the first major Asian nation to roll out the shots as contagion continues to spread in the second most populous nation in the world.
• Developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca, the vector-based vaccine candidate in late-stage trials has demonstrated an overall efficacy rate of 70% in preventing COVID-19, below the 95% shown by rival vaccines from Pfizer/ BioNTech and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA). 
• However, unlike rival vaccines requiring freezer temperatures for storage, AstraZeneca’s vaccine can be stored at 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius. During the pandemic, AstraZeneca does not intend to profit from the vaccine, pricing the shot at about $2.50 a dose, much lower than those of rivals as implied by their supply agreements. 
• https://seekingalpha.com/news/3647559-astrazeneca-s-covidminus-19-jab-expected-to-receive-emergency-nod-within-days