Could COVID-19 Variants Upend Global Vaccine Supply Deals?

WHO Approval Softens South Africa Blow For AZ Partner

South Africa recently decided against using AstraZeneca partner Serum Institute’s vaccine for its immunization program, given its low efficacy against the B.1.351 strain. However, certain vaccines have shown higher efficacy. Is this a sign that newer strains of SARS-CoV-2 could upset supply deals and revenue projections for some vaccines?

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How Would Inventory Returns Work In COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Deals? • Source: Shutterstock

In a world struggling for sufficient supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, South Africa refused to use one million doses of AstraZeneca PLC/University of Oxford partner Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.’s vaccine, instead donating the lot to the African Union (AU). Another 500,000 doses are due to arrive in South Africa over the next few weeks and their fate is not yet clear.

The decision followed a study by the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand...

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