West Lothian firm to combat COVID crisis

Livingston will be at the core of UK’s drive to develop a vaccine to combat Covid-19.

French biotech company Valneva, which specialises in vaccine development has reached agreement in principle with the UK government to provide up to 100 million doses of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, to be manufactured in its Livingston plant.

The UK government is expected to contribute to UK clinical studies costs and is negotiating funding to expand Valneva’s Scottish facility.

Executive councillor for development and transport Cathy Muldoon said: “This is fantastic news. West Lothian Council along with Scottish Enterprise have been working closely with Valneva over the past three years on their potential expansion in Livingston.

“This represents an important investment in the sector and will increase confidence that such significant work can be conducted here in West Lothian.

“The fact that a valued local employer is at the heart of the development of a vaccine for COVID-19 is just as pleasing and will hopefully play a positive role in helping to further enhance our local economy.”

Thomas Lingelbach, CEO of Valneva, commented, “We are delighted to have been selected to participate in this important program with the UK government. This recognizes the strong track record and capabilities that we have built in the last fifteen years both in the UK and beyond. Our Livingston facility has been FDA approved for over a decade . We also envisage manufacturing vaccines to support the need for prevention of COVID-19 beyond the UK.”

Since the outbreak was first reported in late-2019, the virus has infected over 14 million people and has caused over 600,000 reported deaths. It has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, there is no vaccine available .

Valneva’s portfolio includes two commercial vaccines for travellers. The company has various vaccines in development including unique vaccines against Lyme disease and chikungunya. Valneva has operations in Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and the US with over 500 employees.