The European Commission has approved the eighth contract with a pharmaceutical company to purchase its potential COVID-19 vaccine. The contract with Valneva provides for the possibility for all EU Member States to purchase almost 27 million doses in 2022. It also includes the possibility of adapting the vaccine to new variants and for Member States to further order up to 33 million additional vaccines in 2023.
The contract with Valneva is added to an already secured wide portfolio of vaccines to be produced in Europe, including contracts already signed with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, BioNtech-Pfizer, CureVac, Moderna and Novavax Commission. This diversified portfolio of vaccines will ensure that Europe is well prepared for vaccination, once vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective. Member States could decide to donate the vaccine to low- and middle-income countries or redirect it to other European countries.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that “the convention allows the vaccine to be adapted to new variants. Our extensive portfolio will help us combat COVID and its variants in Europe and beyond. The pandemic is not over. “Everyone who can should be vaccinated.”
Stella Kyriakidou, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “Our EU vaccine strategy continues to work, at a time when COVID-19 cases are unfortunately rising again across the EU. The Valneva vaccine adds another option to our wide portfolio, as it has been proven to be safe and effective by the European Medicines Agency. “We continue to support the Member States in their vaccination efforts and the message remains the same: trust science and vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.”
The European Commission presented on 17 June 2020 a European strategy to accelerate the development, manufacture and development of effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines. In return for the right to purchase a certain number of vaccine installments over a given period of time, the Commission finances part of the initial costs borne by vaccine producers in the form of advance payment agreements.
Taking into account the current and new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the Commission and the Member States are negotiating new agreements with companies that will allow the purchase of rapidly adapting vaccines in sufficient quantities to enhance and extend immunity.
To purchase the new vaccines, Member States can use REACT-EU, one of the largest Next Generation EU programs that continues and expands crisis response measures.
.
