One of the programs championed by the White House's Warp Speed coronavirus vaccine project took another step forward Thursday. AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) signed new agreements on Thursday that will raise the global supply capacity for its experimental SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to more than 2 billion doses. Making alliances The experimental vaccine candidate that AstraZeneca licensed from Oxford University, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, has a new name: AZD1222. It uses a non-replicating virus to carry genetic material for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which should prime the immune system to attack the actual virus if encountered. Image source: Getty Images. In May, AstraZeneca agreed to supply 400 million doses of AZD1222 to the U.S. and UK. On Thursday, the company reached a $750 million agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and the Million Purchase to Boost Its Coronavirus Vaccine Production Capacity">Serum Institute of India (SII) to supply 1 billion doses to low and middle-income countries. Testing under way A phase 2/3 trial of AZD1222 with around 10,000 volunteers has already begun, and other late-stage studies with the vaccine candidate are expected to begin soon. Vaccine development can often be a frustrating endeavor, and there's a strong chance that AZD1222 won't be as effective as is hoped. Despite the risks, AstraZeneca is crossing its fingers and preparing to scale up manufacturing capacity without waiting for evidence the experimental vaccine works. While demand for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is sky high, AstraZeneca has said it will provide access to AZD1222 to people around the world at no profit during the pandemic. 10 stocks we like better than AstraZenecaWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and AstraZeneca wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2020 Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source