VACCINES – AUSTRALIA

Morrison blames international supply issues for slow Covid vaccine rollout

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 7-Apr-21

About 855,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationally since the federal government’s rollout began in late February. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the rollout has fallen well behind schedule because the government has not received 3.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Europe. It had contracted to buy 3.5 million doses from Europe in total, and a government source doubts that the remaining 400,000 doses will be delivered. Meanwhile, some 2.5 million doses that have been produced by CSL in Melbourne have yet to be distributed; Morrison says they must first undergo batch testing to ensure that they are safe.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ASTRAZENECA PLC, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL

Calls to expand vaccine portfolio

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Natasha Robinson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Jan-21

Australians are likely to be to access three probable COVID-19 vaccines over the coming 12 months, but the Moderna vaccine is currently not one of them. It and the Pfizer vaccine, which five millions Australia are due to receive, have shown the highest efficacy in clinical trials, but Australia has not been able to come to an agreement with Moderna over the supply of its vaccine. Epidemiologist Zoe Hyde says Australia should seriously consider using the Moderna vaccine in preference to the Oxford/Astra-Zeneca vaccine; Hyde says the Moderna vaccine will better prevent disease and is more likely to deliver herd immunity, which she contends should be Australia’s aim.

CORPORATES
MODERNA INCORPORATED, PFIZER INCORPORATED, ASTRAZENECA PLC

PM fast-tracks vaccine rollout for frontline workers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 8-Jan-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on 7 January that Australians will start getting the COVID-19 vaccine from mid- to late February. Quarantine, border and frontline healthcare workers will be the first to get the vaccine, with Morrison saying around 80,000 people a week will initially receive it. The government has set a target of having four million people receive the vaccine by the end of March, with that figure to include around 500,000 aged and disability care residents and staff.

CORPORATES

Let tech be part of vaccine rollout

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 13 : 7-Jan-21

The Australian Information Industry Association has urged federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to appoint a representative from the technology industry to the working group tasked with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. The AIIA believes a digital expert is needed on the group, as it is worried that the separate sourcing of ICT software and systems by state and territory governments risks a "disjointed approach" that could result in a less effective national vaccination program. Members of the AIIA include Telstra, Salesforce and Apple.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, APPLE PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

PM powerless on border closures, defends slow rollout

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 6-Jan-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he hopes lower numbers of COVID-19 cases in Sydney in recent days could see border restrictions between Victoria and New South Wales "eased as soon as possible". However, he has conceded he does not have the power to stop premiers and chief ministers closing their borders for health reasons. Morrison rejected criticisms that the federal government was taking too long to rollout a COVID-19 vaccine, saying that the Therapeutic Goods Administration needs to rigorously examine vaccine testing data, while vaccine batches in Australia will also need further testing.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Age divide in queue for Covid vaccine

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sue Dunlevy
Herald Sun – Page: 13 : 16-Dec-20

The federal government will compile the list of people who will be given priority in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine when it releases expert advice on the roll-out strategy in late January. However, frontline health workers and aged-care staff will be the first to receive a vaccine. The government will also prioritise people based on age, with the nation’s population to be divided into 12 age brackets. People aged 70+ will receive a vaccine first, followed by those in the 65-70 age group. The rest of the population will be divided into five-year increment age groups. The UK has adopted a similar strategy for its COVID-19 vaccination program.

CORPORATES

CSL signs deal to make two Covid vaccines

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 15 : 8-Sep-20

Biopharmaceutical giant CSL has secured a $1.7bn deal with the federal government to produce 80 million doses of two coronavirus vaccine candidates. This comprises 30 million doses of the vaccine that is being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and 50 million doses of the vaccine that CSL is developing with the University of Queensland. Phase three clinical trials have commenced on the Oxford vaccine, while the home-grown vaccine is in phase one trials. The government will contribute $300m to the cost of upgrading CSL’s advanced manufacturing facility in Melbourne to produce the vaccines.

CORPORATES
CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, ASTRAZENECA PLC

CSL shrugs off growth concerns, shares slide

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 18-Aug-16

CSL has posted a 2015-16 net profit of $US1.24bn ($A1.6bn), which is 10 per cent lower than previously. The blood products and vaccines group’s sales rose by eight per cent to $US6.13bn. Earnings per share fell by eight per cent to $US2.69, but increased by seven per cent on a constant currency basis. CSL has forecast underlying net profit and EBITDA growth of 11 per cent and 14 per cent respectively in 2016-17. Its shares closed five per cent lower at $A110.84 on 17 August 2016.

CORPORATES
CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, SHIRE PHARMACEUTICALS GROUP PLC, NOVARTIS AG, CSL BEHRING, WILSONS ADVISORY AND STOCKBROKING LIMITED, SEQIRUS PTY LTD