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The Prime Minister will launch the North Wales Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund tomorrow. Mr Johnson hopes the fund will create thousands of jobs in drug manufacturing and strengthen the country’s capacity to manage pandemics in the future. The UK reported 15,871 coronavirus cases and 479 deaths yesterday, according to the Office of National Statistics. In total, Britain has recorded 1,621,305 cases of the virus and 58,342 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University.
The fund aims to encourage drug makers to build new UK factories with cutting edge technology to compete on a global scale.
Eligible companies will submit an offer to help with the costs of setting up new factories when the fund opens in the middle of next year.
Mr Johnson said in his announcement: ‘This new £ 20million fund will dramatically increase the capacity and resilience of our drug and diagnostic manufacturing supply chains and equip us to tackle future health crises.
“Throughout the pandemic we have seen a rapprochement of the UK science and innovation industry and this new fund will further strengthen the UK’s manufacturing capabilities.”
READ MORE: Coronavirus vaccine could be rolled out as early as December after death toll skyrocket
Boris Johnson News: Prime Minister announced £ 20million fund for battle against UK pandemic (Image: PA)
Boris Johnson News: UK reported 12,155 cases and 215 deaths yesterday (Image: EXPRESS)
Alok Sharma, business secretary, also spoke about the new medical fund and presented it as essential to tackle any future epidemic.
He added: ‘The positive and timely response from our drugmakers to the pandemic has been remarkable, but we want to ensure that UK supply chains are even more resilient going forward.
“There are huge opportunities for innovation in medicines and diagnostics, and this new fund will put the UK above the rest, strengthening the UK’s capacity and generating significant economic opportunities across the country. “
Chancellor Rishi Sunak allocated the £ 20million fund as part of his 2021/2022 spending review last week.
Boris Johnson News: Alok Sharma said fund was key to building ‘resilience’ (Image: PA)
Boris Johnson News: Oxford and Astrazeneca vaccine has been submitted to MHRA for approval (Image: PA)
NHS leaders and charities have urged the government to invest in British medical manufacturing after the first wave of coronavirus strained the UK’s drug supply.
Layla McCay, director of international relations at the NHS Confederation, urged the government in May to play “its full role” in the global drug supply.
Fiona Loud, policy director at Kidney Care UK, added at the time that no dialysis fluids are made in the UK, and said: ‘We have to learn from this, the supply chain does not. is not as good – is not as robust – as it could be.
“If this cannot be guaranteed, there must be a commitment to a UK initiative on this.”
The British Pharmaceuticals Association also reported supply issues of a no-deal Brexit to Sky News, saying additional costs, red tape and possible delays could arise if the UK leaves the EU without trade agreement.
It comes after the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca announced that their coronavirus vaccine candidate has been submitted to the UK drug regulator.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs said the referral “marks an important first step in getting approval for the deployment of the vaccine” if it meets the requirements for safety, efficacy and quality.
More than 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine have been set aside for the British, with 40 million doses due to be rolled out by the end of the year.
The Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was also asked last week to evaluate the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine made in the United States.
Boris Johnson News: Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine has already been submitted to MHRA (Image: PA)
Boris Johnson News: UK to enter strict tier system on December 2 (Image: EXPRESS)
The NHS has also been asked to prepare for a vaccine rollout by December 7 as the UK may soon receive its first deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine.
If the MHRA approves the candidate, NHS England will first receive jab stocks to administer to NHS workers.
Over 80s and nursing home residents were considered a high priority for a vaccine, but the short shelf life of Pfizer vaccine has made it necessary to rethink who will get it first.
A senior hospital official told the Guardian: “This is the Pfizer vaccine that we get, so it cannot be moved again once it gets to us and we then have to use it within five days because this is its shelf life.
“The original plan was to do the nursing homes first. But once the vaccine gets to us, it cannot be used in the community, so only NHS staff will be able to have it, at least initially.
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