India, UK plan vaccine hub to fight future pandemics; SII, AstraZeneca to produce shots against Covid-19 together

India and the United Kingdom will soon have a new virtual hub for scientists of the two nations to join forces to deliver vaccines for the Covid-19 and other deadly viruses.

The two governments are keen to step up cooperation to fight future pandemics, building on the cooperation between the Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca PLC to produce the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Oxford University of the UK.

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“This Serum Institute and Oxford University partnership demonstrates the UK-India relationship at its best: a vaccine developed in the UK and made in India; drawing our brightest minds together to save lives as a global force for good,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in New Delhi.

Raab called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

“A global pandemic requires a global solution,” he said, adding: “Scientific cooperation has made breakthroughs on coronavirus vaccines at record-breaking pace and the UK-India Vaccine Hub will now build on these innovations, to bring this crisis to an end and protect us all against future pandemics.”

When Modi will host British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in New Delhi next month, the two leaders are likely to launch the India-UK Vaccine Hub for scientists to jointly work on developing shots to protect people, not only from coronavirus, but also from other viruses.

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The new hub will enable British and Indian experts to share knowledge on clinical trials and regulatory approvals and get vaccines to people who need them most in a safe, secure and energy-efficient way. It will also foster innovation, a press-release from the British High Commission in New Delhi stated, noting that Raab praised the Prime Minister’s commitment to equitable global access to vaccines.

The Serum Institute of India is set to make over a billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by the Oxford University and the AstraZeneca PLC.

The British Foreign Secretary who arrived in New Delhi on Monday visited a health clinic where Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines will be administered.

The British High Commission in New Delhi noted that millions of the doses made by the Serum Institute of India would be distributed to the poorest people of the world, via the global Covax initiative, in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Gavi, the vaccine alliance.

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The UK has championed equitable access to any coronavirus vaccine for those who need it and has committed up to £619 million to Covax to secure both the UK’s access to coronavirus vaccines and distribute Covid-19 vaccines across the world.

New Delhi and London also announced on Wednesday the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK MHRA). The MoU will set the stage for more frequent discussions on UK-India vaccine and pharmaceutical regulations, improving standards and sharing information to control against the trade of unlicensed products.

The two nations also announced a new partnership to help UK and Indian scientists unlock the power of data, including the data within our genes, to deliver better diagnostics and enhanced life-saving treatments for cancer, diabetes, maternal health challenges and rare diseases.

India supplies more than 50% of the world’s vaccines and 25% of the generic drugs required by the National Health Service of the UK. “Closer UK-India cooperation on medicines and vaccines approvals will ensure speedy access for the UK to Indian-produced pharmaceuticals and help safeguard future supplies to the NHS,” the British High Commission in New Delhi said.