The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been described as a game changer in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and UK pharmaceutical workers are at the forefront of production of the vaccine.
AstraZeneca had been at the centre of the row with the EU over supply of the drug after a partner plant in Belgium, which is making the vaccine on its behalf, reportedly fell behind on its targets.
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Ian McCubbin, the manufacturing lead for the UK's Vaccine Taskforce said that the “vast majority” of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will be manufactured in the UK.
AstraZeneca also has some plants in Europe, with sites in Germany and the Netherlands producing the jab - these were the first to be rolled out in the UK.
There are production sites making the vaccine in Oxford and Keele with parts of the process being completed in Wrexham.
And parts of the Pfizer vaccine are being made in East Yorkshire.
Biotech company Valneva announced in January that it has begun manufacturing a Covid-19 vaccine at its plant in Livingston, West Lothian. The UK government initially pre-ordered 60 million doses of the vaccine, which is still going through clinical trials.
Cobra Biologics in Keele, North Staffordshire
Cobra Biologics has been producing pharaceuticals for more than 20 years. It has two facilities on Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park making the vaccine in a partnership with the global pharmaceutical giant.
The production agreement is part of a programme with the University of Oxford to ensure the not-for-profit worldwide supply of the vaccine during the pandemic.
Cobra, along with other consortium members, is providing large-scale manufacturing capacity for the vaccine.
Oxford Biomedica
Cell and gene therapy specialists Oxford Biomedica are manufacturing the vaccine at is Oxbox production plant.
Oxbox, opened by PM Boris Johnson on January 18, was originally intended to meet demand for medicine in the Group's core market of gene therapy but has been pressed into action to make the vaccine. The new 84,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, with 250 staff, was completed at the end of 2019.
In April 2020, the Group joined the Oxford Vaccine Consortium and shortly afterwards signed the first of two agreements with AstraZeneca for COVID-19 vaccine production. By October 2020, the Group had four manufacturing suites approved by the MHRA, three of which were contracted by AstraZeneca and are currently producing bulk vaccine at 1000L scale.
CP Pharmaceuticals, Wrexham
Around 100million Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine doses are being produced at the north Wales facility.
The unassuming warehouse on Wrexham's industrial estate could provide "salvation for humanity", according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he visited the site back in November.
Overnight flooding in the town on January 20 affected the site but production was not slowed by the clean-up efforts.
The Wrexham plant is able to produce around 300 million doses of the vaccine each year, and had been producing 150,000 phials a day for months ahead of the roll out the vaccine across the UK at the end of 2020.
The CP Pharmaceuticals lab is carrying out the "fill and finish" stage of the manufacturing process. This involves dispensing the vaccine into vials ready for it to be sent out across the country.
The 18-month agreement with parent company Wockhardt was announced back in August. Wockhardt is one of the UK's biggest suppliers of medicines such as insulin, diamorphine and heparins to the NHS.
Croda, Snaith
The East Yorkshire headquartered smart science specialist is supplying an ingredient used in the Pfizer BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine.
The carrier is used to transport the vaccine's active element into the body.
It is produced at sites in the UK and US.
FTSE-listed Croda, based at Cowick Hall in Snaith, said it has “reprioritised investment, resources and other projects across the group over the last few months to focus on the delivery of this project”.
The firm has just completed the first phase of its huge new distribution centre at Goole.
The essential guide to lockdown 3 in England
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, Stockton-on-Tees
A fourth Covid-19 vaccine, Novovax is on the cusp of being approved for use in the UK, after late-stage trials showed it was 89% effective in preventing coronavirus.
The UK has secured 60million doses of the Novavax jab - which will be manufactured at Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees.
It was shown to be 89.3% effective at preventing coronavirus in participants in its Phase 3 clinical trial in the UK, which involved more than 15,000 people aged between 18-84, of which 27% were older than 65, Novavax said.
It is believed to offer protection against the new UK and South African variants.
Stan Erck, chief executive of Novavax, said the manufacturing plant in Stockton should be up and running by March or April, with the company hoping to get approval for the vaccine from the MHRA around the same time.
Novavax announced plans last August to manufacture the bulk of the vaccine in Billingham.
GSK, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham
Pharmaceutical company GSK is to help manufacture the new Novavax vaccine at its plant in County Durham.
The multinational company has reached an agreement with Novavax and the UK Government Vaccines Taskforce to support manufacturing of up to 60m doses of Novavax’ Covid-19 vaccine candidate at its plant at Barnard Castle.
GSK will provide ‘fill and finish’ services at Barnard Castle and is hoping to start work as early as May.
The UK has secured 60m doses of the vaccine under an agreement with Novavax, with part of the vaccine also being produced in the North East through a contract with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies at Billingham.
The fill and finish process is the end stage of vaccine manufacturing, preparing vials of the final vaccine and packaging them for distribution and use.
The GSK site at Barnard Castle, which will deliver the vaccine doses under this collaboration, is a specialised facility in GSK’s global manufacturing network, which supports production of GSK pharmaceutical and vaccine products.
The Novavax vaccine is being reviewed l by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to assess the vaccine before approving its use.
Valneva, Livingston
The UK Government has secured 100million doses of the Valneva vaccine being made in West Lothian, Scotland.
The latest deal will bolster long-term vaccine production in Scotland and brings the total UK vaccine portfolio to 407 million doses over the next two years
The UK Government has invested a multi-million sum in Valneva’s manufacturing facility in West Lothian, which began manufacturing vaccine doses in January. The site is already supporting 100 new highly-skilled local jobs for scientists and technicians.
Valneva’s coronavirus vaccine candidate is currently in phase I/II trials and will still need to meet the necessary safety and effectiveness standards and receive regulatory approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before it is rolled out at the end of the year.
However, if it is approved, the Government believes that by manufacturing at risk now will mean that the UK can roll the vaccine out across the country quicker.
