[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

BORIS JOHNSON has confirmed 60 million doses of the Novavax coronavirus vaccine will be manufactured in the UK - just days after the drugs company delayed signing a contract with the EU.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...y-covid-jab-eu


The Prime Minister confirmed an agreement with British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) would see doses of the coronavirus vaccine manufactured in the north east of England at the company's Barnard Castle site.

To build on the above, here is the article text. I've highlighted a portion for your edification.

The Prime Minister confirmed an agreement with British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) would see doses of the coronavirus vaccine manufactured in the north east of England at the company's Barnard Castle site.

GSK will provide "fill and finish" manufacturing capacity beginning as early as May.

The "fill and finish" is the completion stage of vaccine manufacturing, preparing vials of the final vaccine and packaging them for distribution and use.

The protein antigen component of NVX-CoV2373, which helps defeat the virus, is also produced in the North East of England by Novavax's manufacturing partner, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, at their site in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees.

Britain secured a deal for 60 million doses of the life-saving injection last year but it is yet to be approved by the regulator for use.

The announcement the jabs would be manufactured in Britain comes after weeks of threats from the EU to ban the export of vaccines from the continent until bloc's slow inoculation programme had caught up with the pace of the UK's immunisation drive.

However, it also comes just days after Novavax delayed talks on signing an agreement to supply doses to Brussels.

The company is said to be wary of putting pen to paper following the threats made by the EU to AstraZeneca following issues with the manufacturing of the Oxford jab.

"You can’t blame the company for being cautious after seeing the punishment beating given to AstraZeneca over the past few weeks," a source told The Sun.

"They are clearly unwilling to line themselves up as the new scapegoats for the EU’s failings.

"There are many more countries who want to do business."