The private sector is negotiating with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for the procurement of another set of COVID-19 vaccine doses, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said Thursday.
In a statement, Concepcion said his non-profit organization Go Negosyo organized a meeting between more than 350 companies and officials of AstraZeneca “to streamline initial plans to procure COVID-19 vaccines for 2022.”
In a meeting held on December 9, the presidential adviser said the private sector has been given the go-ahead by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to procure AstraZeneca vaccine doses next year.
AstraZeneca is set to complete its delivery of the vaccines by December 27 procured under the tripartite agreement of the “A Dose of Hope” program.
Meanwhile, under a new agreement currently being negotiated with the vaccine manufacturer, “there will be a slight increase in the cost for the doses, but the price will already include shipping,” according to Concepcion.
He also stated that AstraZeneca will no longer require upfront payment or a security deposit.
During the meeting, AstraZeneca also revealed that it is now working on an updated version of its vaccine, called AZD2816, to address the variants of the SARS-CoV2—the virus that causes COVID-19, Concepcion said.
AZD2816 still uses the same adenoviral vector platform, but now contains 10 changes across the spike protein, many of which are also seen in other variants of concern.
The new version can also be used as a primary dose.
Concepcion said planning and a proactive approach have resulted in the country’s COVID-19 cases reaching historic lows.
The same foresight, he said, can serve well in securing vaccines for 2022.
“Things will change. That’s why we need to ‘VAX to the MAX’ or else our family bubbles and our business bubbles will weaken,” he said, noting that the country needs to secure its booster jabs for the second half of 2022.
On November 27, 2020, the private sector entered into a tripartite agreement with the national government and vaccine manufacturers to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
The agreement secured for the country 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine doses, half of which were to be donated to local government units.
Concepcion said that the complete delivery of the vaccines from the tripartite agreement by year-end is sufficient to fulfill the country’s vaccine needs for the first half of 2022, and that the change in the timing of the deliveries worked in the country’s favor because they can now be used for the booster shots.
AstraZeneca country president Lotis Ramin said that the private sector can choose to switch their orders to the new vaccine type, but that orders must be sent as soon as possible to ensure supply.
Deliveries will be made on a quarterly basis, according to the pharmaceutical company, and with supply lines now more stable than before, deliveries will be accomplished with fewer issues.
It estimates that the new version will be available in the second half of 2022. — VBL, GMA News
Private sector in talks with AstraZeneca for COVID-19 vaccine supply next year — Concepcion
Source: News Panda Philippines
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