By Stephen Nakrosis


AstraZeneca plans to spend GBP650 million ($828.8 million) on vaccine programs and various other initiatives in the U.K.

The pharmaceutical company said Wednesday it intends to invest GBP450 million at its manufacturing facility in the Liverpool suburb of Speke to research, develop and make vaccines, according to an announcement from the U.K. government.

"The new facility will be designed and built to be operationally net zero with power supplied from renewable energy sources," according to the announcement.

The government also said AstraZeneca and the U.K. Health Security Agency plan to partner "to advance science for developing and evaluating vaccines."

A further GBP200 million will be invested in a facility in Cambridge, which will be adjacent to AstraZeneca's GBP1.1 billion global R&D Discovery Centre and house about 1,000 employees, the announcement said.

Pascal Soriot, the company's chief executive, said, "AstraZeneca's planned investment would enhance the U.K.'s pandemic preparedness and demonstrates our ongoing confidence in U.K. life sciences."


Write to Stephen Nakrosis at stephen.nakrosis@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-06-24 1303ET