UK Government bolsters vaccine manufacturing capacity through agreement with Valneva
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UK Government and Valneva confirm multi-million-pound up-front
investment in Livingston manufacturing facility, following
agreement to secure 60 million coronavirus vaccine doses Valneva’s
site in Livingston will manufacture the vaccine, supporting the
jobs of more than 100 highly-skilled scientists and technicians
Latest deal follows a number of agreements to procure millions of
doses of vaccines, ensuring the greatest possible chance of
securing access to a safe...Request free
trial
The joint investment, made between the UK Government and global biotech company Valneva, will advance Scotland’s vaccine manufacturing capacity and support highly skilled jobs for scientists and technicians at the West Lothian site. Currently more than 100 people are employed at the facility with a quarter of those working directly on a coronavirus vaccine. Researchers working on the vaccine’s manufacture are expected to grow in number by a further 75 as production gets underway. If Valneva’s vaccine is proven to be safe and effective in clinical trials, the expanded Livingston facility could potentially supply up to 100 million vaccine doses to the UK and internationally. The committed investment will be highlighted by UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma on a visit to Valneva’s facility in West Lothian today (Wednesday 5 August), ensuring the vaccine can be manufactured at scale to protect millions of people in priority groups, such as health and social care workers and those at increased health risk, across the United Kingdom if clinical trials are successful. The Business Secretary will witness first-hand the ground-breaking work already taking place at the Livingston manufacturing facility and hear about the significant efforts being made to increase capacity at the site. Welcoming the agreement ahead of his visit, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “I’m incredibly grateful to our highly-skilled scientists and technicians in Livingston who are supporting the global effort to research, develop and manufacture a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. “The multi-million-pound up-front investment we have agreed with Valneva today means that their vaccine can be manufactured in quantity right here in Scotland. If clinical trials are successful, millions of people in priority groups across the UK will be protected by their life-saving vaccine.” Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said:
“We are doing everything possible to keep people in all parts of
the UK safe as we tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The UK
Government is purchasing millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine
for distribution across all parts of the UK. A safe and effective
vaccine is vital to the long-term protection against the virus we
need. I’m particularly pleased that Scotland’s world class
research sector is playing such an important role in developing a
much-needed vaccine.” Chief Financial Officer of Valneva David Lawrence said: “We are delighted to receive initial funding from UK Government to support the expansion of our COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing facilities. We are thrilled that the Secretary of State has made the time to travel to Livingston and to visit our site, it’s a real sign of the government’s commitment. We are working as hard and as fast as possible to develop the vaccine to meet the UK’s needs and indeed to try to address the broader need for a vaccine. We look forward to completing the final supply agreement in the next few weeks.” The Livingston facility is in addition to the new Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) which is currently under construction in Oxfordshire thanks to further investment from the UK Government. When completed in summer 2021, the facility will have flexible capacity to manufacture millions of vaccine doses at scale. The UK Government has also reached an existing global licensing agreement signed with AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford to research, develop and manufacture 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for the British public, as well as a partnership with BioNTech and Pfizer for 30 million doses if their trials are successful. And just last week, a deal was reached with GSK and Sanofi to secure 60 million doses of their vaccine candidate, further boosting the UK’s chances of receiving access to an effective immunisation. A further £40 million government investment has been given to Imperial College London to develop their vaccine candidate, which is now being trialled with more than 200 people across six locations. ENDS Notes to editors VLA2001 is a highly purified, inactivated vaccine candidate against the SARS-COV-2 virus that uses manufacturing technology from Valneva’s Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine. The inactivation process preserves the structure of the virus’ S protein and is expected to induce a strong immune response. The 4 different vaccine classes that the government has secured to date for the UK are:
In addition the UK has secured rights to AstraZeneca’s antibody treatment to neutralize the virus which can be used both as a short term prophylactic for those people who cannot receive vaccines (for example cancer and immunosuppressed patients) and front line workers exposed to the virus, as well as a treatment for infected patients. |