AstraZeneca has said it has the capacity to manufacture one billion doses of the University of Oxford's potential COVID-19 vaccine and plans to begin supplying it in September.

The drugs giant also said it has already taken orders for at least 400 million doses of the coronavirus jab it is developing with the university.

It intends to negotiate further deals on capacity to "ensure the delivery of a globally accessible vaccine".

Results from an early stage clinical trial in southern England are expected shortly, it said.

If those are successful, other trials will follow in a number of countries.

The multinational pharmaceutical company added that it had received more than $1bn (£820m) from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for the development, production and delivery of a vaccine.

It was announced earlier this week that plans are in place to roll out a COVID-19 vaccine to 30 million people in the UK by September if trials are successful.

Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said: "We are so proud to be collaborating with Oxford University to turn their ground-breaking work into a medicine that can be produced on a global scale.

"We will do everything in our power to make this vaccine quickly and widely available."

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