According to officials and internal World Health Organization documents reviewed by Reuters, the relatively short shelf life of AstraZeneca Plc's (NASDAQ:AZN) COVID-19 vaccine is complicating the rollout to the world's poorest nations.
- The need to turn down vaccines with short shelf lives, along with the initial inequality, hesitancy, and other barriers, has contributed to a much lower vaccination rate in Africa, where only around 10% of people have been immunized.
- Many vaccines arrive with only a few months, and sometimes weeks, before their use-by date.
- In November, some countries have destroyed expired doses, including Nigeria, which dumped up to 1 million AstraZeneca vaccines.
- Related: AstraZeneca Records Bumper COVID-19 Vaccine Sales Of ~$4B In FY21.
- The problem with a short shelf life primarily concerns AstraZeneca, according to COVAX data and officials.
- Of the total expired doses declared by African countries in the week, about 1.3 million were AstraZeneca, 280,000 Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), 15,000 Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA), and 13,000 Russia's Sputnik, the document shows.
- Many more vaccines are expected to be rejected as African nations and COVAX said they would not accept vaccines with less than two-and-a-half months' shelf life from January.
- Price Action: AZN shares are up 0.51% at $60.61 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.
