News the UK is ramping up the production of what could be a vaccine for coronavirus, despite the drug having no clinical approval, is exciting the global medical field as the world battles to stop the rampaging virus.
UK’s Health secretary Matt Hancock told the government’s daily coronavirus press conference that a deal had been “struck” between pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University to begin the manufacture of a potential vaccine.
“They’re starting manufacturing now, even ahead of approval so we can build up a stock pile and be ready should it be clinically approved,” the health secretary said.
Medical experts and public health administrators say this means that there will be no time lost should approval bi given for the vaccine as the world races to find a cure for the virus and help save lives.
According to Hancock, there will be sufficient supplies of the drug for those most in need, “should the science come off.”
Stockpiles of the recently approved coronavirus treatment Dexamethasone were built up before it had approval, Mr Hancock said.
Priority will be given to “front line health and social care workers and those at increased risk of serious disease and death from coronavirus,” he added.
That would include the over-50s and those with heart and kidney disease.
Among those being considered for priority are “those from ethnic minority backgrounds, so we can protect the most at risk first, should a vaccine become available”.
“Our approach to vaccines is to throw everything at it as fast as we can and rigorously to test and make sure that they’re safe before deployment.”
The potential vaccine being developed by Imperial College London is “now in the first phase of human clinical trials”, the health secretary also announced.
He warned however, how it is “very important that we don’t fall behind on vaccinations for other diseases because of this crisis”.
SOURCE:BUSINESS DAY
