Queensland to stockpile 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for Australia and Oceania

The Queensland Government is negotiating to stockpile millions of vials of the coronavirus vaccine being developed in the state. But there’s even better news for all Australians.

AUSTRALIANS will skip the queue for COVID-19 flu shots under a deal to stockpile millions of vials of any vaccine developed by the University of Queensland.

As UQ researchers lead the global race for a life-saving vaccine, with test jabs on volunteers in clinical trials this month, The Sunday-Mail can reveal that enough doses will be set aside for every Australian if a vaccine is produced next year.

Australian drug giant CSL has agreed to manufacture the UQ vaccine, which uses a pioneering “molecular clamp’’ technology to lock part of the deadly virus into a shape the immune system can easily detect and destroy.

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The next critical phase for The University of Queensland’s COVID-19 vaccine is underway, with the research effort moving out of the lab and into human trials. Picture: NCA NewsWire

State Innovation Minister Kate Jones told The Sunday-Mail that Queensland had clinched the Aussies-first deal, as a hard-won condition in the contract handing UQ $10 million in taxpayer funding to fast-track research and production of the vaccine.

“Our priority is to stop COVID-19 in its tracks,’’ Ms Jones told The Sunday-Mail.

“As part of our commitment – and should the vaccine prove successful – we have secured 100 million vials that will be available to Queensland, Australia, New Zealand and our Pacific neighbors.’’

But Ms Jones was forced to clarify her comments today after CSL denied it had struck any deal to “specifically secure supply, when a vaccine is available, for Queensland’’.

It said that “negotiations between CSL and the Australian government for a formal national supply agreement are ongoing’’.

But Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today insisted that the Queensland Government’s $10 million grant to UQ “is about making sure people have access if and when a vaccine is proved viable’’.

Ms Jones repeated her statement that 100 million vials of vaccine would be made available to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

But she backed down from her previous claim they would be free, saying negotiations were “still ongoing’’.

“Our funding to fast track the vaccine would only be on the condition Australians had access to that,’’ she said.

“Those negotiations are still ongoing but the federal and state governments are as one … (that) us providing funding to fast-track the manufacture of the vaccine here in Australia was on the condition that Australians would get access to that.’’

CSL stands to reap billions of dollars in profits by selling a successful UQ vaccine worldwide, although UQ has only granted CSL the manufacturing rights for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

UQ retains the intellectual property rights but a university spokesman said “UQ does not expect to make a financial return’’ from the molecular clamp technology.

The Brisbane university refused to reveal if its world-class researchers would pocket any royalties from their breakthrough discovery.

UQ received $14 million in research funding from CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, based in Norway.

CSL and CEPI will share the cost of developing a vaccine.

“If the vaccine is successful the allocation of doses will be proportionate to their relative contribution to the overall costs,’’ CSL, CEPI and UQ said in a joint statement prepared for The Sunday-Mail.

“CEPI’s dose allocation will be procured and distributed through the COVAX facility, which will make vaccines available globally through an equitable allocation system.

“CSL’s dose allocation will be used, at a minimum, to support its long-standing biosecurity commitment to the Australian community as well as other key groups, such as its regional neigbours.

“Pricing will be a matter for discussion between CSL and the institutions and governments procuring the vaccine.’’

But Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday said the details were still being worked out.

“Australians will have priority access to a COVID-19 vaccine,’’ a spokesman for Mr Hunt told The Sunday-Mail.

“We expect to have sufficient vaccine for the entire Australian population as part of the CSL agreement.

“As the vaccine is still being developed, negotiations for a formal supply agreement are still ongoing.

The federal government contributed $5 million to the UQ research.