UK vaccine gambles paid off, while EU caution slowed it down

Laboratory technicians work at Valneva headquarters in Saint-Herblain, western France, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. French pharmaceutical startup Valneva had big news in September: a government contract for 60 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine candidate. The buyer? The United Kingdom — not the European Union, as might be expected for a company on the banks of the Loire.