Denmark's AP Moller-Maersk has signed up to ship one billion doses of a potential Covid-19 vaccine being developed in the US.
The container line said it will work with producer Covaxx to distribute the synthetic peptide-based product next year.
"The goal is to bring a much-needed Covid-19 vaccine to emerging and developing nations," Maersk said.
The agreement lays out a framework for all transportation and supply chain services that will be needed to deliver the UB-612 vaccine around the world.
This covers end-to-end supply chain management, packing and shipping via air or ocean, ground transport, warehouse storage and distribution.
Financial terms are not being disclosed.
Promising results
The vaccine, which is undergoing trials, activates both B-cells and T-cells in an attempt to mimic natural biology.
Pre-clinical studies have shown high levels of immune responses, Covaxx said.
Phase one clinical trials are now underway in Taiwan and the company has an agreement with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to conduct phase two trials in the US.
Covaxx has commitments for more than 100m doses already, and has a deal with Dasa, the largest diagnostic medical company in Brazil, to conduct a large-scale human trial there.
No extra kit needed
The vaccine does not require additional infrastructure such as minus 80 degrees Celsius freezers or liquid nitrogen tanks to store materials at extreme temperatures, the company said.
"Our team, which now proudly includes Maersk, is committed to addressing the needs of countries where the greatest unmet needs exist today," said Mei Mei Hu, co-chief executive of Covaxx.
"We must work in parallel to establish the infrastructure and partners with the strongest capabilities, like Maersk, to safely deliver our vaccine around the world."
Rob Townley, head of special project logistics at Maersk, said the safe delivery of vaccines is the world's most pressing logistics challenge.
"AP Moller–Maersk is committed to working closely with Covaxx to ensure smooth end-to-end global delivery of this vaccine as soon as it becomes available," he added.
Covaxx is a subsidiary of United Biomedical, founded in 1985 and headquartered in New York.
