AstraZeneca working flat out to adapt Covid vaccine to deal with new strains

Drugs giant AstraZeneca is working fast to adapt its Covid-19 vaccine developed with Oxford University to new strains of the disease, as it revealed annual profits more than doubled.
By Ros Snowdon
Published 11th Feb 2021, 07:55 BST
Updated 11th Feb 2021, 11:47 BST

The group, which is also working on cutting the time needed to reach production at scale of the vaccine to between six to nine months, reported pre-tax profits of £2.8bn for 2020.

It marks a significant rise on the £1.1bn profits seen in 2019, despite offering its coronavirus jab on a not-for-profit basis.

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AstraZeneca said it expects to deliver revenue growth in the “low-teens” over 2021, though it stressed the guidance does not include any sales or profit impact from the coronavirus jab or its planned takeover of US group Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

AstraZeneca said the progress of the Covid-19 vaccine demonstrates what it can achieveAstraZeneca said the progress of the Covid-19 vaccine demonstrates what it can achieve
AstraZeneca said the progress of the Covid-19 vaccine demonstrates what it can achieve

Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said: “The consistent achievements in the pipeline, the accelerating performance of our business and the progress of the Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated what we can achieve, while the proposed acquisition of Alexion is intended to accelerate our scientific and commercial evolution even further.

“Additional investment in new medicines continued to fuel our rapidly growing oncology and biopharmaceuticals therapy areas.”

Related topics:AstraZeneca

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