Britain has signed a deal for up to 60 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), it said on Wednesday, its latest such arrangement as the race to tame the pandemic heats up.
With its four deals so far, Britain has struck more coronavirus vaccine supply agreements than any other country, securing 250 million doses for a population of 66 million.
But with no vaccine yet proven to work, a range of potential suppliers is seen as giving the best chance of success.
“The fact remains that there are no guarantees,” said business minister Alok Sharma.
“It is important that we secure early access to a diverse range of promising vaccine candidates … to increase our chances of finding one that works.”
Sanofi and GSK confirmed in a statement that regulatory approval for their vaccine could be achieved by the first half of 2021 if clinical data was positive.
It is Sanofi and GSK’s first deal to supply their experimental coronavirus vaccine to a country.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
