The European Commission announced Thursday that it has concluded exploratory talks with the US pharmaceutical company “Johnson & Johnson” for the purchase of 200 million doses of a potential vaccine against the coronavirus on behalf of all EU member states.
“The proposed contract with Johnson & Johnson would give all EU member states the opportunity to buy the vaccine, as well as donate to low and middle income countries or redirect it to countries in Space economic European-EEA. It is expected that once a vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective against Covid-19, the Commission would have put in place a contractual framework for the initial purchase of 200 million doses on behalf of all Member States of the EU, and could buy more, ”said a statement from the European executive.
The European Commission continues in parallel to discuss with other pharmaceutical companies trying to develop a vaccine, it is noted.
“Our citizens and our economy need a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus. Today’s discussions bring us closer to that goal. The Commission is doing everything in its power, in close cooperation with Member States and with pharmaceutical companies, to actively contribute to this end, ”said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, quoted in the press release.
For her part, Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, underlined that the EU is taking a new step to ensure rapid access to an innovative vaccine under development against the coronavirus.
“Our negotiations to secure a broad portfolio of vaccines for our citizens and the world will continue unabated. A safe and effective vaccine will make a decisive contribution to protecting citizens against the virus. We will continue to work side by side with our Member States until everyone has access to a vaccine, ”she added.
The European Commission also concluded exploratory discussions with the French pharmaceutical company “Sanofi” at the end of July with a view to the purchase of 300 million doses of a potential vaccine against Covid-19 on behalf of the 27 Member States.
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