The UK is the first country to approve the Valneva vaccine

The UK is the first country to approve the Valneva vaccine, authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for COVID-19.

The UK has ordered one-hundred million doses of the vaccine, approved on 14 April 2022 for those aged 18-50 years. The first and second doses have to be taken at least twenty-eight days apart.

Chief Executive of MHRA, June Raine, stated: “Our approval of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Valneva today follows a rigorous review of the safety, quality and effectiveness of this vaccine, and expert advice from the government’s independent scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines.”

Chair of the independent Commission on Human Medicines, Munir Pirmohamed, stated: “Each type of vaccine has a different pattern of antibody response over time. For the Valneva vaccine, two doses are required before a robust antibody response is raised. This means that people will need to be made aware that protection will only start after two doses.”