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A leading scientist behind a possible coronavirus vaccine has said it will be clear if it works in June and promised that the NHS will get “first dibs.”
The University of Oxford has partnered with pharmaceutical giant AstraZenenca for the large-scale development, manufacturing and distribution of the candidate vaccine Covid-19 that is currently being tested in the UK.
The deal was announced Thursday, with details to be completed in the coming weeks.
The measure will allow rapid vaccination worldwide if the candidate proves to be effective, the university said.
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Human trials of the vaccine developed by the university’s Jenner Institute began last week, with hundreds of volunteers to be part of the study that received £ 20 million in government funding.
Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, described the association with AstraZeneca as a “major force in the fight against pandemics” for the foreseeable future.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today show, Sir John said he expected some results from a human trial of the vaccine to be available in mid-June.
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“The priority is the health service,” he said. “If AstraZeneca does [the vaccine] Here, what they will do, they agreed to prioritize the UK. And the NHS will get ‘first dibs’ on all things done here. “
He told Today that the challenge now is to be able to manufacture at scale once it is approved by regulators.
Sir John added: “We also want to make sure that the rest of the world is ready to make this vaccine on a scale to reach populations in developing countries, for example, where the need is very great.
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“We really need a partner to do that and that partner does a great job in the UK because our UK vaccine manufacturing capacity is not where it should be, so we are going to work together with AstraZeneca to improve that significantly. “
It is the first such association to be formed since the government launched the Vaccine Task Force two weeks ago to help find a new coronavirus vaccine.
Both partners agreed to operate nonprofit during the pandemic, the university said, with only production and distribution costs covered.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was “great news” that the University of Oxford had reached an agreement with AstraZeneca to expand its coronavirus vaccine.
He tweeted: “The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced in the world.
“Bringing together the best of British science and the best of British business will give us the best possible shot of a vaccine.
“Science is uncertain, and no vaccine can work, but this deal gives the UK the best possible chance of a breakthrough that could defeat this terrible virus. I am sending my best wishes of good fortune to everyone involved, by good of the nation and indeed the entire world.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said investing in the new vaccine is a risk worth taking for his company.
He told Today: “It is definitely a risk to jump into the development of this vaccine, but now is the time to take those risks: this is a terrible crisis that we face and we need solutions.”
Soriot said he hoped the vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, was not the only one produced.
He added: “The demand, as you can imagine, will be great if the vaccines work, and I hope that there will be several vaccines available to meet the needs of the different countries of the world.”
Soriot also said there is an agreement between companies within the pharmaceutical industry to help each other with production, and that the intention is to supply the vaccine free of charge during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Professor Adam Finn of the University of Bristol, chairman of the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts advising WHO Europe, said in a virtual meeting that there were “many steps on the way” to finding a vaccine for Covid- 19.
He said: “The first horse out of the box is not necessarily the horse that finishes the race.
“I think that naming a particular vaccine as a leader now is potentially misleading, it just tells you it’s in the works.”
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