British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, based in Brentford, London, has been selected to provide the United States with 100 million doses of Covid vaccine.
*****
Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK's Chief Scientific Adviser, who leads the Government’s expert panel on vaccines, holds 43,111 shares in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) from his time as president of the drugs company.
According to the Telegraph, accounts show Sir Patrick held 404,201 shares when he resigned in 2018 – worth £6.1 million at today’s price. He has already sold more than £5 million in shares he received during his six-year tenure with the company.
GSK is one of over 20 pharmaceutical firms around the world racing to provide a vaccine for coronavirus. The manufacturer has deals with the British and US governments to supply them with jabs, subject to terms in a final contract.
Insisting that Sir Patrick should have declared his stake in the company, a senior Conservative MP and ex-Cabinet minister told The Telegraph: ‘If he is making decisions on vaccines and advising the Government on them, then he either needs to divest himself of the shares or make a declaration every time he touches on the subject.
‘In the Commons, every time MPs raise an issue in which there is a registered interest, they have to declare it. Every time he is talking about vaccines or on TV, he should put it on the table.’
It is unclear whether Vallance has declared his interest at any stage. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has denied that Sir Patrick’s shares in GSK present a conflict of interest.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro....-of-shares-in-vaccine-maker-gsk-13321944/amp/