Covid Scotland: Vaccine company Valneva creates over 200 new positions at West Lothian facility

A vaccine company is actively recruiting for many new positions at its ‘state-of-the-art’ West Lothian facility.

Valneva, Livingston

Valneva Scotland, the Scottish subsidiary of Valneva SE, a specialty vaccine company, is actively recruiting for new roles at its facility in Livingston as it expansion to manufacture its new vaccine has created 200 new jobs.

The company focuses on the development and commercialisation of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need.

Valneva established a major Covid-19 vaccine partnership with the UK Government in September last year, developing the only inactivated, adjuvanted, whole virus vaccine against Covid-19 in clinical trials in Europe.

The company produces an inactivated whole virus vaccine, which contains virus that has been destroyed so cannot infect cells, but can still trigger an immune response.

The UK Government has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, 60 million of which were due for delivery before the end of 2021.

As part of its partnership with the UK Government, Valneva is boosting capacity at its West Lothian site by building a brand new state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing facility, which is nearing completion.

The company claims the expansion is creating many new skilled jobs.

Vincent Dequenne, Valneva’s senior vice-president of operations, said: “Valneva’s Covid-19 vaccine partnership is the latest chapter in its decade-long history of manufacturing world-class vaccines in Livingston.

"We are proud to be strengthening our team at the same time as contributing to the global fight against Covid-19 and bolstering vaccine manufacturing capacity. Valneva’s team underpins its success and we are committed to creating opportunities, harnessing talent and building skills for the future.”

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