Covid-19 vaccines: EC approves 2nd contract with Moderna for up to additional 300M doses
The European Commission (EC) approved on March 1 a second contract with pharmaceutical company Moderna, which provides for an additional purchase of 300 million doses (150 million in 2021 and an option to purchase an additional 150 million in 2022) on behalf of all EU countries, the EC said.
The new contract also provides for the possibility to donate the vaccine to lower and middle-income countries or to re-direct it to other European countries, the Commission said.
The statement said that the March 1 contract with Moderna builds on the broad portfolio of vaccines to be produced in Europe, including the already signed contracts with BioNTech-Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Curevac and Moderna.
“This diversified vaccines portfolio will ensure Europe has access to 2.6 billion doses, once the vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective,” the EC said.
The Commission granted conditional marketing authorisation for the vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer on December 21 2020, Moderna on January 6 2021 and AstraZeneca on January 29 2021.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today, we are securing 300 million additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna, which is already used for vaccination in the European Union.
“This brings us closer to our major objective: ensure that all Europeans have access to safe and effective vaccines as quickly as possible. With a portfolio of up to 2.6 billion doses, we will be able to provide vaccines not just to our citizens, but to our neighbours and partners as well,” Von der Leyen said.
(Archive photo, of a delivery of Moderna vaccines to Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia: EC Audiovisual Service)
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