The European Commission announced on Friday that it had reserved on behalf of the 27 Member States 300 million doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 in preparation by the French laboratory Sanofi.
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The European executive is also continuing “intensive discussions” with other vaccine manufacturers, it is specified in a press release.
According to Brussels, “the envisaged contract with Sanofi would provide an option for all Member States to purchase the vaccine”. Discussions between the Commission and the laboratory have made it possible to set up a framework for the purchase of 300 million doses, if a “safe and effective” vaccine is developed.
“Although we do not know today which vaccine will be the most effective in the end, Europe is investing in a diverse portfolio of promising vaccines, based on different types of technologies. This increases our chances of getting an effective cure for the virus quickly, ”Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explained.
Hours before the European announcement, Sanofi and UK laboratory GSK announced that they would receive up to US $ 2.1 billion for the development of their potential COVID-19 vaccine, after being selected to deliver 100 million doses to Americans.
The French government has welcomed the Commission’s announcement, which “will allow each Member State of the European Union to order the vaccine on favorable terms, once it has provided sufficient evidence of its efficacy and ‘absence of side effects’.
In mid-June, the European Commission published a “vaccine strategy”. This action plan provides for signing “advance purchase contracts” with vaccine producers, financed by the emergency aid instrument (around 2.4 billion euros) set up during the crisis. The aim is to “ensure sufficient vaccine production in the EU” and “sufficient supply to Member States”.