AstraZeneca is on the hook for millions of doses of the University of Oxford's front-runner COVID-19 vaccine candidate, assuming it proves effective.

To fill those orders, the British drugmaker has agreed to a short-term manufacturing deal that will help it bridge the gap. AstraZeneca and Oxford BioMedica inked a one-year deal covering "multiple batches" of the University of Oxford's adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, as part of a consortium aimed at speeding production of the shot.

As part of the agreement, AstraZeneca will have access to Oxford BioMedica's 84,000-square-foot OxBox commercial manufacturing center in Oxford, England. The agreement will turn out most of the clinical and commercial supply in 2020 with the possibility of expansion in the future, Oxford BioMedica said in a release. Source: Fierce Pharma 28/5/2020