Coronavirus: EC signs second contract to ensure access to a potential vaccine
A second contract between the European Commission and a pharmaceutical company entered into force on September 18 following the contact’s formal signature between Sanofi-GSK and the Commission, the EC said in a statement.
The contract will allow all EU countries to purchase up to 300 million doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine.
EU countries may donate reserved doses to lower- and middle-income countries, the statement said.
Sanofi and GSK will also endeavour to provide a significant portion of their vaccine supply through a collaboration with the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility – the vaccine pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator for lower and middle income countries – in a timely manner.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen said: “With today’s contract with Sanofi-GSK, the European Commission shows once again its commitment to ensuring equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines not only for its citizens but also for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
“Agreements with other companies will be concluded soon and build a diversified portfolio of promising vaccines, based on various types of technologies, increasing our chances to find an effective remedy against the virus.”
Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “With several countries in Europe experiencing new outbreaks after the summer period, a safe and effective vaccine is more instrumental than ever to overcome this pandemic and its devastating effects on our economies and societies.
“This second agreement is yet another milestone in our EU Vaccines Strategy. Today we are expanding our possibilities to ensure that EU citizens and citizens around the world can gradually resume daily life and feel safe again,” Kyriakides said.
(Photo of Kyriakides: EC Audiovisual Service)
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