Vaccines adapted for Covid variants to be fast-tracked in UK
Last updated 4th Mar 2021
Matt Hancock has said there will be a fast-track approach to approving new vaccines for coronavirus variants.
The medicines regulator, the MHRA, has agreed that the effectiveness of the vaccines can be measured with antibody tests.
But companies will still need to prove that their products are safe.
Speaking to Northsound 1 during a visit to the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab, the Health Secretary said: "We will have a fast-track approach to safely approving future vaccines that work against a variant of Covid-19.
"The challenge is that we don't know exactly how much the vaccines work against these new variants.
"We think they will have some effect, but the problem is that we don't know how much.
"Right now, we are working with the scientists and the companies to develop new vaccines, and we want them to be approved as soon as safely possible.
"Safety is very important, obviously, but so is pace, because getting the vaccine is what keeps people safe."
Mr Hancock added: "The Prime Minister has set a goal that we should have these vaccines within 100 days."
MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine said there is no evidence that current vaccines are lacking effectiveness against known coronavirus variants.
She said: "Since December last year we have all been concerned about the appearance of variants - Kent, South Africa, more recently Brazil - and therefore we're well-prepared to look at, when it's needed, updates to ensure the vaccines being used in citizens are fully effective.
"Our goal is to ensure that the vaccine modifications in future that respond to the new variants can be available in the shortest possible time but without compromising in any way on safety, on quality and on effectiveness.
"What I would emphasise at the outset is that we don't have evidence at the moment that the vaccines in use in the UK are significantly lacking in effectiveness but we are now well-prepared.''