European Commission's first deal for COVID-19 vaccine takes effect
The European Commission’s first ever contract to secure a COVID-19 vaccine came into force on August 27, after it signed a deal with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca earlier this month.
The contract will enable EU member states to buy 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with an option to buy a further 100 million more. The contract also allows for the donation of doses to other European countries outside of the EU bloc or to lower and middle income countries.
AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate is already in large-scale Phase II/III clinical trials after delivering promising results in Phase I/II trials in terms of safety and immunogenicity, the announcement stated.
According to the commission, the contract with AstraZeneca is a key step in the implementation of the European Vaccines Strategy, adopted by the Commission on 17 June. This strategy aims to secure high-quality, safe, effective and affordable vaccines for all European citizens within 12 to 18 months.
In April, AstraZeneca joined forces with the University of Oxford, to develop the university's potential recombinant adenovirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the Commission, said: “The Commission is working non-stop to provide EU citizens with a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 as quickly as possible. The entry into force of the contract with AstraZeneca is an important step forward in this respect.”
She added: “I am looking forward to enriching our portfolio of potential vaccines thanks to contracts with other pharmaceutical companies and engaging with international partners for universal and equitable access to vaccination.”
Stella Kyriakides, European commissioner for health and food safety, said: “Our negotiations have now delivered clear results: a first contract signed, delivering on our commitment to ensure a diversified vaccine portfolio to protect the public health of our citizens.
“Today's signature - made possible by the important groundwork undertaken by France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands - will ensure that doses of a vaccine which, if proven effective and safe, will be delivered across member states. We expect to announce additional agreements with other vaccine manufacturers very swiftly.”
According to the announcement, the Commission has discussed similar agreements with other vaccine manufacturers, concluding talks with Sanofi-GSK on 31 July, Johnson & Johnson on 13 August, CureVac on 18 August and Moderna on 24 August.
The Commission’s first contract is based on the Commission’s advanced purchase agreement with AstraZeneca, signed on August 14. Together with the EU member states, the Commission is agreeing advance purchase agreements with vaccine producers reserving or giving the member states the right to buy a given number of vaccine doses for a certain price, as and when a vaccine becomes available.
To compensate for the high risks taken by manufacturers, the agreements enable member states to indemnify the manufacturer for liabilities incurred under certain conditions.
These agreements are financed by the Commission’s Emergency Support Instrument, which has funds dedicated to the creation of a portfolio of potential vaccines with different profiles and produced by different companies.
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