Drug firms talk with Tokyo about vaccine

UK-Japan News July 2020

British drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC, whose AZD1222 candidate vaccine for Covid-19 is supported by the US Government’s Operation Warp Speed, is in talks with Japanese pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited, as well as the Japanese government, to supply the vaccine—if proved effective—for use in Japan, according to a 27 June story in The Japan Times. AstraZeneca aims to produce 2bn doses and already has deals in place to supply the European Union and the United States, which has targeted January 2021 for delivery.