London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

UK signs deal for GlaxoSmithKline to produce 60 million doses of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine

UK signs deal for GlaxoSmithKline to produce 60 million doses of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine

The UK government has signed a deal with British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to produce up to 60 million doses of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced.
"I can today announce that the vaccine taskforce has reached an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline to finish and bottle this precious fluid," Johnson told a coronavirus news briefing on Monday.

Manufacturing will take place at GSK's site in Barnard Castle, a town in the North East of England that drew headlines last year after it was visited by Johnson's then-top aide Dominic Cummings in breach of the national lockdown.

GSK will "fill and finish" vials of the US-developed vaccine at its Barnard Castle facility as soon as May, the company said in a statement.

The antigen component of the jab, which teaches the body to produce antibodies to fight Covid-19, will also be produced in the North East by FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies in the town of Stockton-on-Tees.

The government has secured 60 million doses of the vaccine under an advance purchase agreement with Novavax, but the jab will still need to be approved by the UK's drug regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The results of a UK phase 3 trial of the jab earlier this month showed that it has an efficacy of 96% against the original form of Covid-19, as well as high protection against the variants from the UK and South Africa.

More than 30 million people have received their first dose of one of the UK's three approved vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

During Monday's briefing Johnson did not refer to Barnard Castle explicitly, only saying that the vaccine would be made "in the North East."

Cummings was sighted in the town in April last year at the height of England's first lockdown when the government was urging people to stay at home.

Shortly after suffering Covid-19 symptoms, he drove from London to his parents' house in Durham, before driving to Barnard Castle to "test his eyesight", which he said had been affected by the virus.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
×