Pharmaceutical products

Tender description

Covid-19 requires over 500 000 ‘at risk’ people in the UK to be protected via antibody prophylaxis as they are unlikely to benefit from a vaccine. Demand for antibody prophylaxis is estimated at up to 1.5 million 1 g doses of an antibody cocktail (containing two antibodies at 0.5 g each) per annum. Current UK manufacturing supply chains do not have capacity to produce these levels. To secure this and ensure the UK is best placed to respond to future requirements, by assuring supply chain resilience and access, the Department is seeking to engage the market to explore how UK antibody manufacturing capability can be developed. The target is for capability to reach 1.5 m 1 g doses of antibody cocktail pa under Good Manufacturing Process by the end of Q2 2022. There is a need to explore how UK antibody manufacturing capability can be developed to deliver supply chain resilience and secure access to 1.5 million doses of a 1 g antibody cocktail. Specifically, the Department is interested in engaging with the market prior to the publication of the contract notice to find innovative solutions that could deliver the service and further inform the specification of requirements, conditions of contract and commercial model. Further details of how suppliers may participate in the market engagement exercise are included in section VI.3) (additional information) at the end of this notice.