The British pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca said on Friday that results are expected in September on the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine in which it is working with the University of Oxford.

"In September we should know whether or not we have an effective vaccine," company chief executive Pascal Soriot told the BBC.

The University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English speaking world r whose project is funded by the British government, has partnered with this pharmaceutical company to manufacture and distribute the vaccine it is developing worldwide.

Human clinical trials started in late April in the UK and should be done this month in Brazil, which is now "the epicenter of the epidemic," Soriot said. To save time, it was decided not to wait for the results before starting production.

"We are starting to produce this vaccine now, it has to be ready by the time we have the results," Soriot said.

Financial risk
This strategy represents a "financial risk" but "is the only way to have a vaccine available" quickly as soon as its efficacy is confirmed, he added.

AstraZeneca has signed agreements to establish parallel supply chains, including one with the Serum Institute of India for the delivery of one billion doses to low- and middle-income countries, in order to double production capacity to two billion doses.

On Thursday, the group announced a $750 million agreement with two specialized international organizations, CEPI and GAVI, for the manufacture and distribution of 300 million doses, with delivery starting at the end of the year.

A total of ten covid-19 vaccine projects have reached the clinical trial phase worldwide.