Safe, stable, sold at cost: AstraZeneca’s vaccine deserves celebration, not scorn

The company has struggled, like its rivals, to keep up with demand. But it has achieved great things at low prices

AstraZeneca is one of the shining stars of the pandemic. Not only did it produce a vaccine where other big players failed, the UK-Swedish company has pledged to sell it at cost until it is able to declare the pandemic over.

Because the vials that contain Astra’s vaccine can be kept in a normal refrigerator, it has managed to keep the cost down to about $3 (£2.20) a shot, compared with the $35 charged by US firm Moderna for its vaccine outside the States.

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