Freedom of Information request on the full nucleotide base sequence for the mRNA used in the COVID-19 vaccines (FOI 21/927)
Published 20 January 2022
© Crown copyright 2022
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-responses-from-the-mhra-week-commencing-23-august-2021/freedom-of-information-request-on-the-full-nucleotide-base-sequence-for-the-mrna-used-in-the-covid-19-vaccines-foi-21927
24th August 2021
FOI 21/927
Dear
Thank you for your email.
Regarding your request, dated 15th August 2021, for supporting documentation for full nucleotide base sequence for the mRNA used in both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines and full nucleotide base sequence used in the recombinant DNA of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines is exempt under Section 41 (Information provided in confidence) and Section 43 (Commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
Section 41 is an absolute exemption and no consideration of the public interest is required, except to state that we consider its disclosure to constitute an actionable breach of confidence.
Section 43 is a qualified exemption and a consideration of the public interest should be made. We have considered the public interest and cannot see any public interest argument that outweighs the commercial harm in providing commercial secrets to competitors, who would be able to use this information to aid the development of their own rival product.
Please note the composition of the vaccines can be found in the Summaries of Product Characteristics or Information for Healthcare Professionals.
Regulatory approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Regulatory approval of Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Regulatory approval of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Regulatory approval of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you disagree with how we have interpreted the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with regards to your request, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed. The review will be carried out by a senior member of the Agency who was not involved with the original decision.
If you have a query about the information provided, please reply to this email
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date you receive this response and addressed to: info@mhra.gov.uk
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, we are not able to accept delivery of any documents or correspondence by post or courier to any of our offices
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you were to remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you would have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please bear in mind that the Information Commissioner will not normally review our handling of your request unless you have first contacted us to conduct an internal review. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
MHRA Customer Service Centre