Another nail in the coffin
France furious as Britain snatches Covid vaccine Valneva deal from under its nose
February 5 2021, The Times
A French vaccine financed by Britain is at the centre of a row over the Macron government’s failure to ensure supplies for its people.
The French government refused to fully fund research by Valneva, a Franco-Austrian startup that has developed its vaccine at its headquarters near Nantes in the Loire region.
Instead, the British backed the development, securing an agreement to supply 60 million doses from a plant in Livingston, West Lothian, starting in October. France will get the vaccine only next year.
Franck Grimaud, the company’s chief executive, said that several governments had been contacted at the launch of the project. “The UK responded the fastest,” he said.
“In large part no doubt because we already had a base there and also because they believed straight away in our ‘inactivated’ vaccine. They took all the risks . . . and immediately forwarded €96 million to use before the end of December. It’s logical that, under contract, we undertook to deliver to them first.”
“Inactivated” vaccines are considered to have advantages over “live” ones because they can boost previous vaccinations. Critics in France said the failure by Paris to back Valneva was symbolic of the government’s poor management of the vaccine race, in which Britain has stolen a march.
Sanofi, France’s pharmaceutical champion, has failed to produce a vaccine yet. After pooling its procurement with the EU in Brussels, France is suffering a shortage of supplies of the Pfizer-Biontec, Moderna and forthcoming Astrazeneca vaccines.
The conservative, far right and leftwing opposition to President Macron’s centrist administration said that the Valneva situation was a symptom of France’s failure to back its own research and development despite the country’s long history as a medical pioneer.
The far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, said: “We are above all paying for the abandonment of our sovereignty in favour of other emerging powers in globalisation.”
The party claimed that French know-how and talent was leaving the country. The government said it fully supported Valneva’s work and argued that Sanofi’s vaccine would probably be available before the smaller firm’s serum. The Valneva product is still undergoing clinical trials.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the minister for industry, said that the government had negotiated with Valneva from April but the company had received a favourable offer from Britain.
Media reports said that the UK offered a total of €470 million. French laws against 100 per cent state financing of private enterprises hampered the talks with the company.
Nadine Levratto, an economist and a director at the National Centre for Scientific Research, suggested Britain offered more than France or the EU because it was suffering more than others from the pandemic.
Jean Castex, the French prime minister, said last night that the vaccination drive would be sped up.
An extra 1.7 million vaccine appointments would be offered “in the coming days”, he said. So far only 1.6 million people have received a first dose, far below Britain and Germany.
This week Mr Macron pledged that by the end of August all French people would have been offered a vaccination.
Mr Castex said that though the coronavirus situation remained delicate, there was no need for another national lockdown.
