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The Prime Minister will launch the Diagnostic and Medicines Manufacturing Transformation Fund from North Wales tomorrow. Johnson expects the fund to create thousands of jobs in drug manufacturing, as well as boost the country’s ability to handle pandemics in the future. The UK reported 15,871 coronavirus cases and 479 deaths yesterday, according to the Office for National Statistics. In total, Britain has seen 1,621,305 cases of the virus and 58,342 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University.
The fund aims to encourage drugmakers to build new state-of-the-art UK factories to compete on a global scale.
Eligible businesses will submit an offer for help with the costs of setting up new factories when the fund opens in the middle of next year.
Johnson said in his announcement: “This new £ 20 million fund will significantly increase the capacity and resilience of our diagnostic and drug manufacturing supply chains and equip us to combat future health crises.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have seen a union of the British scientific industry and innovation and this new fund will further enhance the UK’s manufacturing capabilities.”
READ MORE: The coronavirus vaccine could be implemented as early as December after the death toll rises
Boris Johnson News: Prime Minister Announced £ 20 Million Fund For Britain’s Pandemic Battle (Image: PA)
Boris Johnson News: UK reported 12155 cases and 215 deaths yesterday (Image: EXPRESS)
Alok Sharma, Commercial Secretary, also spoke of the new medical fund and touted it as essential to combat any future outbreaks.
He added: “The positive and timely response from our drug manufacturers to the pandemic has been remarkable, but we want to ensure that UK supply chains are even more resilient in the future.
“There are tremendous opportunities for innovation in medicines and diagnostics, and this new fund will place the UK above others, boosting the capabilities of the UK and generating important economic opportunities throughout the country. “
Chancellor Rishi Sunak allocated the £ 20 million fund as part of his 2021/2022 Spending Review last week.
Boris Johnson News: Alok Sharma Said Fund Essential To Boost ‘Resilience’ (Image: PA)
Boris Johnson News: Oxford and Astrazeneca Vaccine Submitted to MHRA for Approval (Image: PA)
NHS leaders and charities have urged the government to invest in British medical manufacturing after the first wave of coronavirus depleted UK drug supplies.
Layla McCay, director of International Relations for the NHS Confederation, urged the government in May to play “its full role” in the global supply of medicines.
Fiona Loud, Policy Director at Kidney Care UK, added at the time that dialysis fluids are not manufactured in the UK, saying: “We need to learn from this, the supply chain is not that good, it is not that strong.” how could it be.
“If it can’t be guaranteed, there has to be a commitment to some UK initiative on this.”
The British Pharmaceutical Industry Association also pointed to supply problems since a no-deal Brexit to Sky News, citing additional costs, red tape and possible delays if the UK leaves the EU without a trade deal.
It comes after the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca announced that their coronavirus vaccine candidate has been submitted to the UK drug regulatory body.
The Department of Health and Welfare said the referral “marks an important first step in getting the vaccine approved for implementation” if it meets the requirements for safety, efficacy and quality.
More than 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine have been reserved for the British, with 40 million expected to be released by the end of the year.
The Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was also asked last week to evaluate the US-made Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine.
Boris Johnson News: Pfizer and BioNTech Vaccine Already Shipped to MHRA (Image: PA)
Boris Johnson News: UK To Enter Tight Tier System On Dec 2 (Image: EXPRESS)
The NHS has also been told to prepare for a vaccine launch before December 7, as the UK could soon receive its first deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine.
If the MHRA approves the candidate, NHS England will receive shares from the jab to administer NHS workers first.
People over the age of 80 and nursing home residents received a high priority for a vaccine, but the short shelf life of the Pfizer vaccine has forced us to rethink who will get it first.
A senior hospital executive told The Guardian: “It is the Pfizer vaccine that we are receiving, so it cannot be moved again once it reaches us and then we have to use it within five days as that is their useful life.
“The original plan was to build nursing homes first. But once the vaccine reaches us, it cannot be used in the community, so only NHS staff will be able to have it, at least initially. “
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