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Published Thursday, December 3, 2020
AstraZeneca invests $8 million in
expanding operations in Costa Rica
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
British multinational biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday the investment of $8 million towards the expansion of its operations in the country, with a new branch in Escazú District, San José Province.
During the inauguration ceremony, President Carlos Alvarado highlighted the importance of the company for the country and that "it has been recently strengthened with the agreement we signed for the supply of its potential vaccine against covid -19, which it is developing together with the University of Oxford, and which would protect half a million people, " he said.
The company, which has been operating in the country for 19 years, will hire 60 new employees in 2021, which will be added to the 260 currently working.
“At AstraZeneca we reaffirm our commitment to Costa Rica as the center of our operations in Central America and the Caribbean, creating alliances to improve the quality of patients life, as the heart of everything we do, with access to innovative solutions that helps with the sustainability of the health ecosystem, "said Rafael Mendoza, president of AstraZeneca for the Central America and Caribbean region. "We have confidence in the country and its human talent and reaffirm our commitment to continue investing in Costa Rica as we have done in the last 20 years”.
In the new 3,615 m2 branch, the operations of the Financial Services and Purchasing Centers for the continent will be carried out.
People interested in applying for a vacancy can find more information on the company's Careers website.
In November, The government signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company for purchasing one million doses of its candidate vaccine against covid-19, AZD1222, which is being developed together with the University of Oxford in England.
According to the government, each dose will be priced at $4, so the estimated price of this purchase is at least $4 million, without including additional distribution costs. Vaccine purchases would be made with money from the National Emergency Fund.
“This important advance in preparing to vaccinate the population when vaccines are available is the result of the great work that the National Vaccine Commission has been developing and reflects our primary commitment to protect the health and life of citizens against this pandemic, using all the means at our disposal,” Alvarado said during the announcement of the AstraZeneca agreement.
One million doses will cover half a million people because of two applications, which is the recommended requirement for each person. It is estimated that the vaccine will be available beginning the first quarter of 2021, as long as the ongoing clinical trials are successful and the vaccine is approved by international regulatory organizations.
The agreement is part of Costa Rica's adherence to the COVAX-Facility program, which provides coverage for 1 million people.
Also, the recent agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech for the immunization of 1.5 million people. In total, the government hopes to vaccinate more than three of the five million people living in the country.
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What have you heard about your government’s plans to distribute the covid-19 vaccine? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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