The government has asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, bringing the UK a step closer to a possible rollout.
The referral to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) marked “a significant first step” in getting the vaccine “approved for deployment”, the government said.
It follows news that the jab was “highly effective” in advanced trials.
The UK government has pre-ordered 100m doses of the Oxford vaccine.
The government’s latest request to the MHRA comes a week after the regulator was asked to assess the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was working “tirelessly” to be in the “best possible position to deploy a vaccine” as soon as one was approved by the MHRA.
“We have formally asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, to understand the data and determine whether it meets rigorous safety standards,” he added.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the UK would be one of the first countries in the world to receive the vaccine, if authorised, with AstraZeneca set to have up to 4m doses ready for the UK by the end of the year and 40m by the end of March 2021.
The government has also ordered 40m doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine – which preliminary results showed stopped more than 90% of people developing Covid-19 symptoms.
If approved, a vaccine could be rolled out from December, Mr Hancock has said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55096434HELP US SPREAD GOOD NEWS!
I run this site in my spare time and thoroughly enjoy giving you all positive news! If you’ve enjoyed the site we’d love for you to help me share the good news far and wide, share us on Reddit, your Facebook or your Twitter and spread a little positivity around.
ENJOY FEEL GOOD, INSPIRING STORIES AND VIDEOS ?
Our new page here is just what you need, with just good news, feel good stories unrelated to COVID.
