AstraZeneca and Kangtai Biological Enter into Exclusive Authorization Agreement for COVID-19 Vaccine AZD1222 in Mainland China

AstraZeneca Announces Exclusive Licensing Framework Agreement with Kangtai Biological for the Chinese Mainland MarketAstraZeneca today announced the signing of an exclusive licensing framework agreement with Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., Ltd. (Kangtai Biological) for the Chinese mainland market. Through technology transfer, the partnership aims to actively advance the research and development, manufacturing, supply, and commercialization of AZD1222, the adenovirus vector COVID-19 vaccine developed in collaboration between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, within the Chinese mainland. In the future, both parties will continue to explore opportunities for collaboration on this vaccine in other regions and markets. This initiative is expected to bring world-leading vaccine technology to China in sync with global developments, thereby benefiting the Chinese people at the earliest possible stage. It also represents a concrete action by AstraZeneca to actively fulfill its corporate social responsibility and uphold its long-term commitment of “In China, For China.”

Pursuant to the terms of the Framework Cooperation Agreement, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., Ltd., as the technology transferee, shall ensure that the annual production capacity of the AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine reaches at least 100 million doses by the end of 2020, and expand the designed production capacity of the vaccine to at least 200 million doses per year by the end of 2021, so as to meet the demand in the Chinese market.

In May this year, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford established a partnership to develop, manufacture, and supply the COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222 globally, marking a milestone initiative. AstraZeneca has committed to providing more than 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, the company is working with partners around the world to establish multiple supply chains, ensuring broad and equitable vaccine access for as many countries as possible worldwide.

Interim results from the Phase I/II COV001 clinical trial, recently published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, demonstrated that the vaccine was well-tolerated and elicited robust immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in all evaluated participants. Currently, Phase II/III clinical trials of the vaccine are underway in multiple countries worldwide, with plans to expand to additional regions to verify its efficacy in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection and to assess safety and immunogenicity across different age groups and dosing regimens. To date, AstraZeneca has entered into collaborative agreements with numerous countries and organizations globally.