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A biotech company has emerged whose contract to manufacture cancelled Covid vaccines through the UK government won £358 million of taxpayers’ money.
France’s Valneva intended to manufacture more than a hundred million vaccines at its site in Livingston, West Lothian, but the contract was cancelled by ministers in 2021.
The government said it withdrew from the deal at the time because the company breached the terms of the deal, but Valneva denied that.
An online monetary publication shows Valneva has earned millions of pounds worth of banknotes despite the cancellation of the deal.
A form filed with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The U. S. government says Valneva won advances totaling £358 million as part of its deal with the UK government.
The company earned around £40. 5 million as part of a commercial deal, another £66. 5 million to cover capital expenditures and the rest to pay advance bills for vaccine doses.
Valneva is now also reportedly contemplating promoting the Almeida plant that was built specifically at the Livingston site to manufacture Covid vaccines.
This week it was reported via the BBC that the French company hired an advertising real estate company to explore the functions of the cocoon-filled 75,000-square-foot facility.
A spokesperson for Valneva said: “Valneva is exploring features for its Almeida production plant in Livingston, originally built to produce its Covid-19 vaccine, adding an imaginable sale or reusing to produce its Japanese encephalitis vaccine and chikungunya vaccine, if approved.
The Briton has been contacted for comment.