Race for COVID-19 vaccine: UK Government pledges US$100m in funding

18 May 2020 --- The race for a COVID-19 vaccine is in full swing, with players in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and nutraceutical industry looking to solve the pandemic’s spread. The UK Government has pledged £84 million (US$100 million) in funding to the first researchers to find a coronavirus vaccine. The news comes as Oxford University – which is already researching a vaccine – signed a global licensing agreement with biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. If research is successful, AstraZeneca will help with manufacturing and commercializing the vaccine, with 30 million doses available by September in the UK, as the initial goal of the agreement.

“AstraZeneca is at the forefront of the response to COVID-19, and we are working with Oxford University to help make this vaccine available as quickly as possible. Our company is working hard to establish parallel supply agreements with other nations and multilateral organizations to ensure fair and equitable access around the world,” says Pascal Soriot, CEO at AstraZeneca.

Moreover, the UK Government will invest up to £93 million (US$113 million) to accelerate construction of the new Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) which, when completed, will have capacity to produce enough vaccine doses to serve the entire British population in as little as six months. The funding will ensure the center opens next summer, 12 months ahead of schedule.

While in the nutraceutical’s industry most approaches are looking to preventatively act against COVID-19, with probiotics hailed for the potential benefits in shielding against it, the sector also looked into potential nutritional treatments and is now also looking into vaccines.

Last week, Lallemand revealed its partnership with Canadian companies Biotechnologies Ulysse and Bio-K Plus to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. Last week, Lallemand revealed its partnership with Canadian companies Biotechnologies Ulysse and Bio-K Plus to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. The vaccine could contain live bacteria and yeast that have the same properties as the virus, but without the contagious load of COVID-19. Biotechnologies Ulysse is working on a proof of concept, hoping to start testing the vaccine in animals within four to six weeks, and to have obtained the first preclinical results in around four to five months.

A potential vaccine by September
The government’s move backs top scientists at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London who are already looking into a vaccine. The funding includes £65.5 million (US$79 million) for the vaccine being developed at the University of Oxford and £18.5 million (US$22 million) for Imperial College London, as coronavirus vaccine trials accelerate. This means that, if the Oxford vaccine is successful, AstraZeneca will work to make up to 30 million doses available by September for people in the UK, as part of an agreement to deliver 100 million doses in total.

This will mean the UK will be the first country to get access to the vaccine, should it be successful, winning the race and landing significant financial profits in the process should it decide to capitalize on it.

“This deal with AstraZeneca means that if the Oxford University vaccine works, people in the UK will get the first access to it, helping to protect thousands of lives,” says Business Secretary Alok Sharma. “The agreement will deliver 100 million doses in total, ensuring that in addition to supporting our own people, we are able to make the vaccines available to developing countries at the lowest possible cost.”

“We now have a partner in AstraZeneca who are ideally positioned to help us evaluate the vaccine, manufacture it and distribute it to UK citizens as well as to the rest of the world. They share our commitment to true global access to end this pandemic,” notes Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University.

Professor Robin Shattock of Imperial College London also commented that the funding will greatly accelerate efforts to demonstrate the effectiveness of its vaccine and make it available to at risk populations as rapidly as possible.

Vaccines manufacturing and innovation center
The government-funded center, which is already under construction, is a key component of the government’s coronavirus vaccine program – ensuring that once a vaccine is available it can be produced quickly and in mass quantities.

The facility will be located on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire and will be the UK’s first not-for-profit organization established to develop and advance the mass production of vaccines. This will boost the UK’s long-term capacity against future viruses. The center will also accelerate the production of vaccines for existing illnesses such as the flu virus.

While the center is being built, the government will establish a rapid deployment facility thanks to a further investment of £38 million (US$46 million) to begin manufacturing at scale from Summer 2020. This facility will support efforts to ensure a vaccine is widely available to the public as soon as possible.

“As the biggest contributor to the international coalition to find a vaccine, the UK is leading the global response. Once a breakthrough is made, we need to be ready to manufacture a vaccine by the millions. The new VMIC and temporary facility will build ‘fill and finish’ capacity, bringing the UK vaccine program together from discovery to distribution,” concludes Sharma. 

By Kristiana Lalou