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Coronavirus Notebook: A UK Catapult, A Russian Vaccine, And A Cuban Therapy

 
• By Ian Schofield

The UK BioIndustry Association has welcomed the government’s fresh investment in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity, while Sanofi and GSK are striking European and US deals for their vaccine candidate. A number of potential therapies are also being developed, including products based on interferon and hyperimmune globulin, but Roche/Chugai’s Actemra (tocilizumab) looks like a non-runner.

Earth virus
More progress is being made with potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments • Source: Shutterstock

In what it describes as a “substantial boost” for the UK’s vaccine manufacturing capacity, the government has announced an additional £100m (US$130m) in funding for a state-of-the-art production center for the mass production of vaccines for COVID-19 or other infectious disease crises.

Due to open in December 2021, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre will be able to produce “millions of doses each month,” ensuring the UK has “the capabilities to manufacture vaccines, including for emerging diseases, far into

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More from Europe

EU Wants Industry To Define ‘Trade Secrets’ Under Health Data Sharing Regulation

 
• By Eliza Slawther

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Safety Review Prompts EMA to Suspend Ixchiq Chikungunya Vaccine For Seniors

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

The European Medicines Agency is investigating whether Valneva’s Ixchiq is safe to use in the elderly, following reports of 17 serious adverse events, including two cases resulting in death, in people aged 62 to 89 years who received the vaccine. This follows actions by US and French authorities last month regarding Ixchiq’s use in people over 65.

England: HTA Sandbox Helping To Assess ‘Challenging’ Drugs And Indications

 
• By Eliza Slawther

England’s health technology assessment institute explains how its sandbox environment is helping to test new evaluation methods for drugs or indications with which it does not have experience, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

EU Pharma Reform: Exclusivity Vouchers Alone Are Insufficient Incentive For Antimicrobials, Industry Says

 
• By Eliza Slawther

European pharma trade associations EFPIA and EUCOPE outline their respective views on how the EU’s pharma legislation overhaul should tackle antimicrobial resistance, and why transferable exclusivity vouchers alone will not suffice as incentives.

More from Geography

Pharma Industry Argues Tax, Other Incentives Better Than Tariffs

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Pharmaceutical industry organizations offered alternatives to tariffs that could maintain a secure domestic supply chain in public comments filed in response to a federal 232 investigation.

US FDA Guidance Roadblock: Writing Continues, But Publication Has Slowed Or Stopped

 
• By Derrick Gingery

Cuts to the FDA’s policy and legal personnel have prevented dozens of product-specific guidances for generic drug development from being published.

FDA Adcomms Are Back: Four Cancer Drugs, COVID-19 Vaccine Formulations To Get Reviews

 
• By Sue Sutter and Bridget Silverman

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet for two days in mid-May, followed by a Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee’s review of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine formulation.