Britain's Vaccine Success: A Nimble Approach That Left the EU in the Dust

Strategic Insights -

The vaccination programme has been Britain's major success story in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, with almost 7.9 million people receiving at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. This success can be attributed to the UK's ability to acquire and roll out vaccines quickly, contrasting with the European Union's struggles. Britain's biotech industry played a crucial role in this achievement, with measures put in place as early as February to tackle the virus.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK's biotech industry, led by the Bioindustry Association (BIA), recognized the threat posed by Covid-19 in February and began taking measures to support the development of a vaccine.
  • The BIA task force convened a committee, led by Ian McCubbin, a retired senior vice-president in charge of manufacturing at GLAXOSMITHKLINE, and held weekly meetings to discuss industry plans and coordinate with experts.
  • The industry-wide SOS sent out by Nettie England, the BIA's expert on bioprocessing, led to the assembly of a consortium including Cobra Biologics and Oxford Biomedica, the two companies now making the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
  • The first deal to buy the Oxford vaccine was signed on May 17, while the EU did not submit an advance purchase agreement for 300 million doses until August.
  • The UK has contracts for three approved vaccines, while the EU is struggling to play catch-up, facing a shortage of the Pfizer vaccine and criticizing AstraZeneca over its own deal.
  • The UK's vaccine task force had set aside £3.7 billion for the purchase of 350 million vaccine doses and evaluated the efficacy of over 200 vaccine contenders.
  • The UK's nimbleness in acquiring and rolling out vaccines has saved lives, with Britain having administered 7.9 million doses compare to France's 1.1 million.

Statistics:

  • Almost 7.9 million people in Britain have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
  • The UK has contracts for 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, all of which are manufactured in the UK, and another 40 million for the US-developed Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
  • The EU has struggled to play catch-up, with a shortage of the Pfizer vaccine and criticizing AstraZeneca over its own deal.
  • The Bioindustry Association (BIA) task force assembled a consortium including Cobra Biologics and Oxford Biomedica, the two companies now making the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, after an industry-wide SOS was sent out by Nettie England, the BIA's expert on bioprocessing.

Sources:

  • "Kate Bingham: the vaccine tsar who made Britain's jab miracle happen", The Telegraph
  • "How Britain's vaccine taskforce saved the day", The Telegraph
  • "Bioindustry Association (BIA)"
  • "AstraZeneca"
  • "Pfizer-BioNTech"
  • "Oxford University's Jenner Institute"