A new vaccine manufacturing hub is set to be built in Liverpool.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made the announcement in Wednesday’s Budget during which it was revealed AstraZeneca are plotting a £650 million UK-wide investment.
The pharmaceutical giant will expand its existing site in Speke to serve as a vaccine manufacturing hub alongside the footprint of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Whitehall officials confirmed that AstraZeneca plan to fuel the Liverpool facility by using renewable energy sources to make at an operationally net-zero plant.
Sir Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s CEO, said: “AstraZeneca’s planned investment would enhance the UK’s pandemic preparedness and demonstrates our ongoing confidence in UK life sciences.
“We will continue to support the UK in driving innovation and patient access, building on the strong foundations which have been put in place.
News of the move was also greeted positively at a local level with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram welcoming the company’s Speke development plan.
He said: “It is fantastic to see a vote of confidence from AstraZenca, a global leader in pharmaceuticals, in the work we’re doing building our health and life sciences sector.
“We’ll continue to nurture our strengths to grow the economy, deliver new investment and jobs for local people and establishing ourselves as a global leader.”