On 29 November 2024, UK Research and Innovation published a process map to help researchers use lessons learned from COVID-19 to speed up new vaccine development and respond to epidemics and pandemics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines like the Vaxzevria vaccine produced by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca were developed and licensed within a single year. This remarkable achievement was made possible through: the sharing of pre-existing knowledge; platform delivery technologies; and active, positive collaboration between researchers and regulators. The process map includes a rapid human vaccine development (RHVD) case study created using the COVID-19 vaccine as an exemplar. The process map and case study is intended to improve understanding of the key stages of drug development and where bottlenecks could possibly slow down progress.
Access the process map and case study through the recently updated UK Vaccine Network (UKVN) Vaccine Development Process Maps website.