UK government ensures early access to millions of doses of covid-19 vaccines

Moderna advances in the development of its experimental vaccine 1:40

(CNN) - The British government has ensured early access to more than 90 million doses of vaccines, as well as covid-19 neutralizing antibody treatments, Business Secretary Alok Sharma announced Monday.

The announcement follows an existing global licensing agreement signed with AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford to research, develop and manufacture 100 million doses of a covid-19 vaccine for the UK public.

"The search for a vaccine is a truly global effort, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that the British public has access to a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible," said Sharma, announcing a partnership with BioNTech companies / Pfizer and Valneva, who are developing vaccines against covid-19.

"This new partnership with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical and vaccine companies will ensure that the UK has the best possible chance to secure a vaccine that protects the most exposed people."

Pharmaceutical Valneva, based in France, confirmed the "principle of agreement" with the British government saying that "it would provide up to 100 million doses of its candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2."

"The UK government is expected to contribute to the costs of UK clinical studies and is negotiating funds to expand the Scottish facilities in Valneva," he also said.

Sharma encouraged people to sign up for a newly created NHS website that aims to make it "faster and easier" for volunteers to join studies and trials.

"The public can also participate in vaccine research through the new NHS vaccine research registry," he said, setting a target of 500,000 people on the platform for October. "By subscribing and participating in important clinical studies, together we can accelerate the search for a vaccine and end the pandemic sooner."

- With information from Arman Azad in Virginia, Fred Pleigten in Berlin and Vasco Cotovio in Lisbon.

Coronavirus vaccine