UK gov asked MHRA regulator to assess Oxford/Astrazeneca covid-19 vaccine for temporary supply

Reuters has reported that Britain on Friday asked its medicine regulator to assess Oxford University and AstraZeneca's AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine candidate for temporary supply, a step towards beginning a roll-out before the end of the year.

''AstraZeneca expects 4 million doses to be available in Britain by the end of next month, and health minister Hancock is targeting the roll-out to begin before Christmas,'' Reuters wrote.

"We have formally asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, to understand the data and determine whether it meets rigorous safety standards," Hancock said in a statement, reported by Reuters. 

"This letter is an important step towards deploying a vaccine as quickly as safely possible."

More key notes

''Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is already assessing the vaccine in a "rolling review" as data comes in on safety and efficacy.''

''Hancock has also asked the MHRA to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate after it was shown to be 95% effective.''

''Oxford and AstraZeneca AZN.L published interim efficacy results on Monday, which showed that the vaccine could be 90% effective when given as a half dose followed by a full dose.''

''Questions have been raised about the Oxford/AstraZeneca data and the robustness of that result, though the MHRA approved the use of the half-dose/full-dose regime a subgroup received in the trial.''

''Britain's top science adviser said on Thursday that the interim results showed the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine worked.''

Market implications

The pound is already solid on the prospects of a Brexit breakthrough and a faster economic recovery pertaining to a vaccine.