Valneva begins clinical trials for new Covid vaccine in UK

Clinical trials have begun in the UK for a new COVID-19 vaccine being developed in Scotland.

The UK government has pre-ordered 60 million doses of the Valneva candidate, which is being developed at the French biotech company's facility in Livingston, West Lothian.

It is being tested on 150 volunteers at four National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) testing sites in Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, and Southampton.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said he had visited Valneva's "state-of-the-art facility" over the summer, adding he had seen "first-hand the incredible work our scientists and researchers are doing" to develop the new vaccine.

It comes as the UK rolls out its large-scale vaccination program of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after becoming the first country in the world to approve it on 2 December.

Initial trials will show if the vaccine produces a safe and effective immune response against COVID-19.

If successful, more tests will be planned for April 2021, with more than 4,000 UK volunteers taking two doses, and the candidate could become available by the end of next year.