U.K. Orders 90 Million Vaccine Doses from Pfizer and Valneva

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. has signed agreements to buy 90 million doses of vaccines in development by drugmakers including Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE and Valneva SE, joining countries around the world racing to secure supplies of protection against Covid-19.

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to supply 30 million doses of their vaccine candidate this year and next, the companies said. France’s Valneva agreed to supply the U.K. with 60 million doses of the shot it’s developing, and another 40 million if the product proves safe and effective.

Britain has already struck a supply agreement for a vaccine being tested by AstraZeneca Plc with the University of Oxford. Astra shares rose as much as 5.8% to a record in London ahead of news from a clinical trial due later on Monday.

The U.K., a nation of 66 million people, described the order for the vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as that alliance’s first binding agreement with any government. The U.S. has been supporting the companies’ efforts through its $10 billion Operation Warp Speed research program.

“It’s the right thing to be doing to be at the absolute front of the queue to make sure we’re in a position to get those vaccines first when they become available,” Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told the BBC during the government’s media round on Monday.

The vaccine uses a new technology called mRNA, which spurs the body to create specific proteins with its own cells. By contrast, Valneva’s experimental product is further behind and relies on technology it’s used in another vaccine.

BioNTech Data

BioNTech said Monday a study of its experimental vaccine conducted in Germany on 60 healthy adult volunteers triggered an antibody response, echoing earlier results from a U.S. test. What’s more, researchers found that patients had a T-cell response, which bodes well for their ability to fend off the virus. BioNTech shares surged 10% in Germany. Pfizer gained 4% in trading before U.S. markets opened.

The U.K. also ordered treatments containing antibodies that neutralize Covid-19 from AstraZeneca.

Unlike the Astra and Pfizer collaborations, Valneva isn’t in the lead of the coronavirus vaccine race, but the French company would manufacture the product at its factory in Livingston, Scotland. The experimental shot will enter clinical studies by the end of the year and Valneva said it expects the U.K. government to help fund the research.

Chief Executive Thomas Lingelbach said the Lyon-based company may manufacture vaccines for Covid-19 beyond the U.K. As part of its pandemic response, Valneva plans to boost investments in its manufacturing facilities both in Livingston and in Solna, Sweden. Valneva shares rose 15% in Paris trading.

The Valneva vaccine uses the manufacturing technology developed for Ixiaro, the company’s shot for Japanese encephalitis. The company is also working on experimental vaccines for Lyme disease and chikungunya.

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