Vaccine maker Oxford Biomedica pauses production as AstraZeneca partnership reviewed

The chief executive of Oxford Biomedica has hailed an “exceptional” year as a deal to manufacture Britain’s Covid-19 vaccine boosted revenues and led to a string of deals. Revenues jumped 63% last year to £142 million, as a partnership with AstraZeneca led to surging business. Operating profits rose from £7.3 million to £35.9 million in 2021. Chair and interim CEO Dr Roch Doliveux said: “I am delighted with our performance in 2021 which was a true testament to the hard work of all our employees. “2021 financial performance was exceptional due to large-scale manufacture of the adenovirus-based Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and we have successfully manufactured over 100 million doses since the partnership began. “