Europe concludes Covid-19 vaccine agreements

The European Commission concludes vaccine agreements with three major pharmaceutical companies and is considering other deals

So far, the European Commission (EC) has concluded agreements with three pharmaceutical companies on behalf of all member states of the European Union (EU), as the Joint Committee on EU Affairs heard from Oireachtas this morning.

Agreements have been made with AstraZeneca to purchase 300 million doses of the vaccine, with an option to purchase an additional 100 million. Sanofi-GSK for the purchase of 300 meter recordings; Johnson and Johnson for the first 200 million drug purchase, and the EU could buy up to 200 million more doses.

In addition, exploratory talks were held with the German company CureVac, the US company Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer for a further million doses, said Gerard Kiely, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Ireland.

The Commission's vaccination strategy should accelerate the development and availability of vaccines. The aim was to ensure the manufacture of vaccines within the EU. Ensure adequate supplies to its Member States through pre-sale agreements with vaccine manufacturers; Adapting the EU legal framework to the current emergency and using the flexibility of its rules to accelerate the development, approval and availability of vaccines.

Tomorrow (October 29) there will be a virtual meeting of European heads of state and government to coordinate Covid-19.

The meeting aims to focus on additional measures to combat Covid-19 and set out next steps in key areas to step up the EU's response to the resurgence of Covid-19.

Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will attend an informal video conference of Health Ministers the following day (Friday 30 October).

The Commission should establish a common reporting framework and platform to monitor the effectiveness of national vaccination strategies. In order to share best practice, the conclusions of the first review of national vaccination plans are due to be presented next month.

The latest draft update from the World Health Organization lists 44 vaccine candidates currently under clinical evaluation and describes their type, number of doses, timing of dosage, route of administration and clinical development stages.

The listing is for informational purposes only and is dated October 19th.