Regeneron vaccine distribution pledges 300,000 doses by January 2021, according to the company’s CEO, Dr. Leonard Schleifer.
The Food and Drug Administration granted the antibody treatment, called REGN-COV2, an emergency use authorization. President Donald Trump took the experimental therapy when he was diagnosed with Covid-19 in October.
As part of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, the government gave Regeneron $450 million in funding to assist them in developing the drug.
Schleifer told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the Regeneron vaccine distribution already has 80,000 doses of its antibody treatment prepared for distribution. The White House will manage the allocation of the doses to the states “proportion to the need and amount of Covid,” he said.
After January, Regeneron will be able to supply 100,000 doses every month, Schleifer noted. The company is also holding experiments to know whether the dosage can be reduced in half, which would eventually become twice the amount of available doses to 200,000 every month if proven effective, he said.
“We hope to have millions of doses available. Now still, that might not be enough,” Schleifer told CNBC, explaining that a coronavirus vaccine would reduce the number of infections. Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca have all presented data hinting that their Covid-19 vaccines can protect many people from the virus.
“I’m hopeful that will really bring down the number of cases and that those people that still get it, because they didn’t either respond to the vaccine or they didn’t access the vaccine or didn’t want the vaccine, that there will be this monoclonal cocktail of ours available for treatment,” he said.
“I think as we get more experience, we’ll have a more efficient administration supply chain,” Schleifer told CNBC. “We don’t want to commingle, if you will, somebody who’s already infected, but we do want to treat these people because you can reduce the risk of hospitalizations.”
Vaccine distribution
Dr. Hans Kluge, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Europe, believes that “any Covid vaccine should be a global, public good” with equal access for all.
“In the last few days, we have received good news with two, particularly promising vaccines. However, this promise will never be realized unless we ensure that all countries have access to the vaccine market, that it is delivered equitably, that it is effectively deployed and that countries address pockets of vaccine hesitancy,” he said.
He added that the distribution of Covid vaccines should prioritize health and social care as well as people with health conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus. He also urges the public to continuously observe health measures like mask-wearing and social distancing.
Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that around 8,000 Boeing 747 jumbo jets are needed to transport coronavirus vaccines globally.
According to the IATA, shipping coronavirus vaccines worldwide will be the “largest transport challenge ever” and will require the equivalent of 8,000 Boeing 747s.
Although there are no coronavirus vaccines available yet, the IATA is already working on a global airlift plan in partnership with airlines, airports, global health regulators and pharmaceutical companies.
