First batch of Oxford University’s vaccine for COVID-19 ready by New Year’s Day
The Australian manufacturer of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has revealed when the first doses will be ready.
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Australia’s first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are on track to be ready by New Year’s Day.
Vaccine manufacturer CSL, which began producing AstraZeneca’s jab formula on November 9, expects the initial batch to be finished on December 28.
It takes approximately 50 days to make each batch of the vaccine, the company has told News Corp.
Before the jab can be administered clinical trials will have to prove it works and the TGA will have to assess its safety and efficacy. This is unlikely to happen before late January.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has forecast the first doses of any successful COVID-19 vaccine would be rolled out from March next year.
“The overall program is tracking well and first doses are still planned for release in the first half of 2021, pending the outcome of clinical trials and regulatory approval,” a CSL spokesperson said.
“There’s still a way to go and our first priority remains the safety and efficacy of the vaccines produced. We are undertaking these manufacturing activities in parallel with the clinical trials and regulatory approvals processes in recognition of the significant urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The AstraZeneca jab, formulated in conjunction with Oxford University, is one of four coronavirus vaccines purchased by the federal government.
Purchasing agreements have also been struck with Pfizer/BioNtech, Novavax and the University of Queensland.
Two vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna have already reported on clinical trials showing their shots were are 95 per cent and 94.5 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19.
Both are poised to apply for emergency government regulatory approvals in the United States and Europe within days.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is due to report on outcomes of its clinical trial results in coming weeks.
The Novavax vaccine is in the second phase of its clinical trials, with results expected in early 2021.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration which regulates medicines in Australia has confirmed it expects to be able to approve the first coronavirus vaccine in late January under a fast track process.
The TGA has already issued a provisional determination, the first step in the approval process, for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, along with another contender, the single-dose vaccine made by Janssen-Cilag.
Normally it takes up to 255 days for a new medicines to be approved for use in Australia.
However, the TGA is part of a network of international regulators that has been receiving regular updates on COVID-19 vaccine trials as they happen.
The same group is also discussing the best way to assess the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines to speed up regulatory approval once they have reached the market.
“The ability to access early data and planned collaboration with international regulators will assist the TGA to expedite the evaluation of any new vaccines without compromising on our strict requirements for safety, quality and effectiveness of products,” the regulator said.
The surge in cases is helping speed up the clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines.
Before a vaccine can be approved for use it must be tested in tens of thousands of people and a certain number of people must be infected with the virus to measure the effectiveness of the vaccine.
In a clinical trial some of the volunteers will get a placebo vaccine while others receive the real COVID vaccine.
To prove the jab works, during the trial more people who have been given the placebo must become infected with COVID-19 than those receiving the real vaccine.
Australia’s vaccine agreements include the purchase of 10 million units of the Pfizer vaccine, 33 million units of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, 40 million units of the Novavax vaccine and 51 million doses of the University of Queensland vaccine.
The vaccines — all which are due to be available in 2021 — require two doses to be administered several weeks apart.
Mr Hunt says if all prove successful Australia would have enough vaccines to protect the population three times over.
Woollahra mum Shandara Richard, 32, is hoping the vaccination will allow people to visit their families safely after restrictions forced them apart for so long.
“It’ll be nice for everyone when the vaccine does come, in that sense that it’ll enable people to travel,” Ms Richardson said.
“It’ll be good when the borders can open and we can go and see our families.
“I’m from the United States originally and my family haven’t even met my baby yet, so it would be great for them all to be able to meet.”
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