Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 20
20
In our assessment, many of the risks that the portfolio approach was intended to mitigate...
Conclusion
In our assessment, many of the risks that the portfolio approach was intended to mitigate remain. Most notable among these is the risk that future variants of the virus may respond better to one vaccine than another, perhaps a vaccine the UK has not procured. We asked the Taskforce what it was doing to protect the UK against such risks. It agreed that it had indeed ended up with a narrow set of suppliers. But it considered that, in spite of continuing uncertainties, it had adequate provisions to access timely variant vaccines for the UK at fixed prices, thereby protecting taxpayers against rising global prices.47
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5: PAC conclusion: After starting with a portfolio of seven candidates, the UK’s vaccine supply for 2022 and 2023 now relies primarily on just two, yet many of the risks that the ‘portfolio’ approach was intended to mitigate remain. 5: PAC recommendation: The Department and the Vaccine Taskforce should urgently review the future procurement strategy for COVID-19 vaccines, seeking all necessary clinical and commercial expertise, to ensure that future contracts are not let to too narrow a set of providers. It should report the results of the work in detail to the Committee. 5.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 5.2 The government took a portfolio approach to vaccine development and procurement. This was the right strategy in the early stages of the pandemic, recognising a high degree of uncertainty over which vaccines, if any, would prove safe and effective, and so receive regulatory approval. 5 5.3 Now, more information is available. The government has continued to learn more about the vaccines including through Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) sponsorship of clinical studies. The department continues to monitor such studies, as well as manufacturer data, to help inform procurement strategy. 5.4 Ability to adapt to new variants has also been important in considering which vaccines to procure. The government has ensured that agreements with the developers give access to updated vaccines. Bivalent vaccines, that target the original (wild type) and Omicron BA.1 strain, from both Moderna and Pfizer have received regulatory approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 15 August 2022 and 3 September 2022, respectively. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended both for use in the 2022 Covid-19 autumn booster programme. Six licenced vaccines (from three developers) are currently available for the NHS under JCVI recommendations. Two further vaccines are likely to achieve MHRA approval shortly and could be deployed if JCVI recommend we do so. 5.5 The vaccine procurement strategy is kept under constant review. It was last discussed with the VTF Steering Group, chaired independently by Sir Richard Sykes (former chair of GSK), in mid-September. That Steering Group included commercial and clinical experts, such as Sir Jonathan Van-Tam. This steering group stopped at the end of September when VTF transitioned into its new form. The COVID Vaccine Unit, in UKHSA, is in the process of setting up a suitable advisory group – which will continue to include clinical and commercial experts.