AstraZeneca and Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) have delivered an additional 1,547,100 doses of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (also known as Vaxzevria) to Vietnam, reaching the milestone of 30 million doses and completing the first phase of the companies’ vaccine supply partnership, with support from the Ministry of Health.

Following the signing between AstraZeneca and VNVC for another 25 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, witnessed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in the UK on 2 November, the second phase of vaccine deliveries will begin later this month and continue across 2022.

Mr Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director, AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets, said: “The latest delivery of our vaccine marks another important milestone in our support of Vietnam’s health and economic recovery. Behind our vaccine supply to date, and our future delivery of doses, is incredible collaboration between AstraZeneca, the Vietnamese Government, the Ministry of Health, and VNVC. We thank all of our partners for their tireless commitment to this critical collaboration.”

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine was the first to be authorised for and used in Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

At the high-level meeting and signing ceremony in November, VNVC also purchased AZD7442 – a combination of two long-acting antibodies (LAAB) that have been designed to provide up to 12 months of COVID-19 protection. If granted regulatory approval in Vietnam, AZD7442 will be the first LAAB to receive authorisation for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

Vulnerable populations, such as people who are immunocompromised and those at increased risk based on their work or living situation, are often unable to develop the needed degree of protective response following COVID-19 vaccination. If approved, AZD7442 will provide an additional prevention option for these high-risk populations, alongside vaccines, and help diagnosed COVID-19 patients to fight the virus.

To date, more than two billion doses of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca have been supplied to over 170 countries, and approximately two-thirds of these doses have been delivered to low- and lower-middle income countries.

The vaccine is estimated to have helped prevent 50 million COVID-19 infections, five million hospitalisations and helped save more than one million lives due to COVID-19. From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the vaccine has been shown to have an acceptable safety profile.

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, (ChAdOx1-S [Recombinant]), formerly AZD1222, was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company, Vaccitech. It uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus if it later infects the body.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.