BRIEF—Oxford Biomedica deal with AstraZeneca for manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine candidate

UK gene and cell therapy group Oxford Biomedica closed up 6.6% at 764 pence today, having hit a high of 795 pence, after it revealed it has signed a one year clinical a commercial supply agreement with AstraZeneca.

The agreement relates to the GMP manufacture of the adenovirus vector based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, which recently entered clinical trials at multiple sites in the UK.

Oxford Biomedica is working alongside AstraZeneca and other manufacturing organisations to provide large scale manufacturing capacity for this vaccine candidate.

As part of the agreement, AstraZeneca will have access to Oxford Biomedica’s new 7,800 m2 commercial manufacturing center Oxbox, located in Oxford, UK.

In April, Oxford Biomedica announced that it had joined a consortium including the Jenner Institute in relation to the potential for large scale manufacture of AZD1222.

AstraZeneca and Oxford University subsequently announced an agreement to enable global development, manufacturing and distribution of the vaccine.