AstraZeneca’s and Oxford’s COVID-19 Vaccine Nabs UK Authorization

Last week, the UK authorized AstraZeneca’s (AZ) and Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, characterized as a rapid temporary regulatory approval, becoming the first country to do so as the nation contends with a new contagious strain of the virus leading to a spike in cases.

The British government has begun shipping the vaccine and inoculations will begin today.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved the vaccine as a double-dose regimen for adults 18 years and older, with the booster dose to be administered between four to 12 weeks after the initial dose. The regulator says it has been reviewing data from the UK-Swedish drugmaker and Oxford on a rolling basis since September.

Unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the only other that has received emergency approval in the UK, the adenovirus-based AZ/Oxford vaccine doesn’t rely on messenger RNA technology and can be stored and distributed at normal refrigeration temperatures of 35.6 to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 8 degrees Celsius).