Gaithersburg, Md.-based drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions signed a $174 million deal July 27 with AstraZeneca, agreeing to scale up manufacturing for the British pharma giant's COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
The deal brings AstraZeneca's total commitment to the biopharmaceutical company to $261 million, as it follows an $87 million deal announced June 11, in which Emergent agreed to become a manufacturing partner for the vaccine. Production activities outlined within the latest deal will take place at Emergent's Baltimore Bayview facility.
The vaccine candidate, named AZD1222, is being developed in partnership with Oxford University. Early trials for AZD1222 produced two kinds of immune responses that could protect the body against COVID-19, according to research published July 20 in The Lancet.