Trials of Valneva’s Covid-19 vaccine have started, after the UK government made a multimillion-pound investment into the company’s vaccine production facilities in Scotland.
On Wednesday, the British government announced that Scotland’s homegrown vaccine would begin phase one and two human trials, making it the fifth Covid jab to be trialled in the UK.
The secretary of state for Scotland, Alister Jack, praised the work of the scientists in Scotland who have worked “tirelessly” to develop the vaccine.
This is a great example of the work of Scotland’s world-class life sciences sector.
Valneva, a French company with a lead manufacturing site in Scotland, will initially test its jab on 150 people across four National Institute for Health Research testing sites in Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, and Southampton.
If this early trial proves successful, larger-scale human trials will take place from April 2021 on 4,000 UK volunteers. Later trials will involve two doses given to two groups – adults under 65, and those above 65.
The vaccine would not be expected to be widely available until the end of 2021.
“As we take the monumental steps in rolling out the first Covid-19 vaccine, we must remember that we need to have a range of vaccines available to protect the British public now and long into the future,” Business Secretary Alok Sharma said.
The UK government has secured 60 million doses of the Valneva jab, with an option to acquire a further 130 million if the vaccine is proven to be safe, effective, and suitable.
The news of Valneva’s commencement of clinical trials comes as the UK kicks off a mass vaccination programme.
So far, the UK has only approved the vaccine developed by US firm Pfizer, while approval of AstraZeneca’s vaccine is anticipated in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, the minister in charge of deployment of the vaccine, Nadhim Zahawi, said a total of 137,897 people had been given the Pfizer jab in the UK during the first seven days of the vaccination programme.
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