London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 25, 2025

Large-scale manufacture of Valneva Covid vaccine begins in Scotland before phase-3 human trials even start

Large-scale manufacture of Valneva Covid vaccine begins in Scotland before phase-3 human trials even start

The UK government has taken a risk on a promising candidate vaccine, with production of the jab already started, despite the fact that the vaccine hasn’t even begun large-scale human trials.
Large-scale manufacturing of a Covid-19 jab developed by speciality vaccine company Valneva has started in Livingston, Scotland, the government announced on Thursday morning.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted while on his controversial trip to Scotland: “It’s brilliant that @valnevaSE is starting the large-scale manufacture of its potential vaccine, creating 100 high-skilled jobs at their Livingston facility.”

However, the candidate vaccine is currently in trial phases one and two, and will need to demonstrate appropriate levels of safety and efficacy before it can even begin large-scale human trials.

“By starting manufacturing, we will have a running start at rolling these out as quickly as possible to protect the British public if it receives regulatory approval,” said Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

The UK currently leads the way in Europe as vaccination programmes against Covid-19 kick off. The best performing mainland EU country, Denmark, has only vaccinated 3.7 people per 100, compared to 11.3 in the UK.

Access to vaccines has been a major reason for this discrepancy, with EU nations facing supply challenges for both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, although the latter is yet to be approved by Brussels.

A disagreement has emerged this week. The EU is now demanding a share of the AstraZeneca vaccine being produced in the UK, after it was announced that AstraZeneca’s Belgian and Dutch manufacturers would not be able to deliver the promised doses to European countries.

UK minister Michael Gove insisted on Thursday that there “will be no interruption” to British vaccine supplies from AstraZeneca following the EU’s demand.

On Wednesday Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon questioned whether the UK prime minister’s planned visit to Scotland was truly “essential,” adding that both she and Boris Johnson have to lead by example and follow the rules the government has set.

While insisting that the PM was still welcome in Scotland, she added that she was not “ecstatic” about Johnson’s visit, which has been billed by some commenters as a chance to hail the benefits of the union amid Sturgeon’s independence push.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×