Several AstraZeneca insiders told BBC Medical Editor Fergus Walsh that they would not consider continuing their vaccine at cost model for another pandemic after they saw the profitability from rivals Pfizer and the “rollercoaster” of events from the EU’s mistrust of the vaccine. Mr Walsh said it was “beggars belief” that AstraZeneca faced immediate criticism from authorities over its revised efficacy rate which increased for over 65s and slightly decreased for everyone else earlier this week. The health editor added that it was unprecedented for such a report to face disapproval and sadly explained future pandemics would unlikely see such at cost models from AstraZeneca.
Speaking to BBC’s Today programme, Mr Walsh said: “I can tell you that more than one senior person at AstraZeneca has said to me privately that ‘would we do this again?’
“They see Pfizer is going to make billions out of the vaccine, [AstraZeneca’s] vaccine which was always intended – with its partnership with Oxford that doesn’t need to go to freezer and has two billion doses worldwide.
“Most of those are, a huge proportion of those go to the low and middle-income countries and they say they wouldn’t do this again if there was another pandemic which comes along.
“There have been missteps it’s been an absolute roller coaster following this vaccine development along the way.
“But if I was AstraZeneca I’d be very cross about [the efficacy queries].”
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