AstraZeneca boss: Digital innovation vital to equipping health systems for next pandemic May 26, 2021 AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot has said healthcare systems need greater flexibility and digital innovation to enable remote treatment if they are to better deal with future pandemics. Soriot’s firm has been at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19, producing a cheap, easily-shipped vaccine against the novel coronavirus. But Soriot said one of the most [...]
36m Brits have received first vaccine dose as UK records just five Covid deaths May 17, 2021 There were 1,979 new cases of coronavirus recorded on Monday 17 May, and five deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test while the number of those vaccinated against the virus continues to rise. Since vaccines started being administered in December, over 20m adults in the UK have received both doses of a Covid-19 [...]
UK’s 12-week vaccine delay could have saved lives, study says May 13, 2021 The UK’s 12-week delay between first and second vaccine doses could have saved more lives, according to a US study published in the British Medical Journal, suggesting other countries strapped for jabs could adopt the strategy. The second shots of the Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are designed to be given three to four weeks [...]
Bitter clash at Astrazeneca as 40 per cent of shareholders reject CEO pay package May 11, 2021 A share bonus hike for Astrazeneca’s chief executive was only narrowly approved in a vote where nearly 40 per cent of the pharma’s shareholders rejected the proposed pay package. The pharmaceutical giant did pass the proposal, however, which could take Pascal Soriot’s total pay, including a £1.3m salary, above the £15.4m he received last year. [...]
EU demands 120m AstraZeneca jabs by end of June as second legal case begins May 11, 2021 The European Union wants AstraZeneca to deliver at least 120m vaccine doses by the end of June, a lawyer representing the EU said today. EU lawyer Rafael Jafferali spoke in a Belgian court as proceedings started in the second legal case against AstraZeneca over delayed supplies. The pharma firm had originally agreed to deliver the [...]
Astrazeneca shareholders in row over chief executive’s £2.3m bonus hike May 9, 2021 Astrazeneca shareholders have been plunged into a bitter row over plans to hike chief executive Pascal Soriot’s pay by £2.3m. The French pharma boss has been praised for rolling out the company’s Covid-19 vaccine at cost price, as well as driving up its share price since he took over in 2012. But major shareholders have [...]
Indian Covid mutation declared ‘variant of concern’ over fears of rapid spread May 7, 2021 A coronavirus strain first detected in India has been declared a “variant of concern” over fears that it may be spreading more quickly than the dominant Kent strain. Public Health England (PHE) said it had “moderate confidence” that the Indian mutation, known officially as B16172, spreads at least as quickly as the strain first found in Kent last [...]
Under-40s in Britain to be offered alternative to Astrazeneca vaccine May 7, 2021 People under the age of 40 in Britain will be offered an alternative to the Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine following concerns of rare blood clots. In a press conference this morning, the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that adults in the UK aged between 30 and 39 should seek an alternative vaccine. Professor [...]
Embattled Covid-19 jab maker Astrazeneca reports $275m of vaccine sales April 30, 2021 Embattled Covid-19 vaccine maker Astrazeneca reported a jump in revenue to $7.32bn in the first quarter, including $275m of coronavirus jab sales. The pharmaceutical giant said revenue grew 15 per cent in the first three months of 2021, and profit after tax jumped from £750m to £1.56bn. It recorded $275m of Covid-19 jab sales after [...]
First shipment of medical supplies arrives in Covid-stricken India from the UK April 27, 2021 The first shipment of emergency medical supplies have landed in India today from the UK, as the country’s infection rates have soared in recent weeks. The supplies form part of a global campaign to curtail India’s sudden increase in infections, with the US offering to export 60m of AstraZeneca vaccine doses. India has reported over [...]