The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said on 20 October 2020 that the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) was joining the global lab network, set up by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to assess data from potential COVID-19 vaccines, Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday.

Reportedly, NIBSC had received funding from CEPI to develop an international standard for the COVID-19 antibody. It is the second UK laboratory to join this network.

This implies that the NIBSC will produce a sample of antibody with a defined amount of biological activity that can be used by regulators and vaccine makers to calibrate their tests. Public Health England is also involved in the CEPI scheme.

CEPI, a major non-profit health emergencies group, set up this network early in October 2020 to establish the effectiveness of different COVID-19 vaccine candidates. This network allows scientists and pharmaceutical companies compare vaccines and speed up selection of the most effective shots.

Reportedly, hundreds of potential COVID-19 vaccines are in various stages of development around the world, with vaccines developed in Russia and China already being deployed before full efficacy trials have been done. Front-runners from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca are likely to have final-stage trial results before the end of 2020.

CEPI itself is co-funding nine of the vaccines in development, including candidates from Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax and CureVac, Reuters added.