Thursday

1st Jun 2023

EU seeks new deal for '90% effective' Covid-19 vaccine

  • There are currently 47 'candidate' vaccines in clinical evaluation, but only 10 in late-stage development, according to the World Health Organization (Photo: Département des Yvelines)

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announed on Monday (9 November) that the EU is about to sign a contract with Pfizer and BioNTech for up to 300 million doses of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine, after the companies found it to be more than 90 percent effective.

"Today is a great day for science and humanity," Pfizer's chairman Albert Bourla said on Monday (9 November), adding that the results from the late-stage trial of their potential vaccine have shown the initial evidence of the "vaccine's ability to prevent Covid-19".

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen," he added.

The US and German companies released data from their Phase 3 research trial after 94 of the nearly 44,000 trial participants contracted Covid-19. The analysis shows that 90 percent of those who received the two-dose vaccine were protected against the coronavirus for 28 days after starting the vaccine course, according to the pharmaceutical companies.

The announcement was welcomed as a major victory against a pandemic that has caused more than one million deaths in less than a year.

Global stock markets hit a new peak after the news broke on Monday, as investors welcomed the fresh hopes for a Covid-19 vaccine and the incoming presidency of Joe Biden in the White House.

Pfizer expects to produce up to 50 million doses of its potential vaccine this year and 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

Earlier this year, Pfizer and BioNTech signed a €1.64bn contract with the US government to deliver 100 million doses of their experimental vaccine - while the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan have also announced supply deals with them.

The commission, on behalf of the 27 EU countries, has previously sealed deals with AstraZeneca (up to 400 million doses), Sanofi-GSK (up to 300 million doses) and Johnson & Johnson (up to 400 million doses) for its potential Covid-19 vaccines, and it is also negotiating with CureVac and Moderna.

Last month, the EU executive called on member states to adopt a common strategy for the deployment of vaccines for when a safe and effective shot is available - in a bid to avoid a cacophony of unilateral measures evidenced during the first months of the pandemic.

EU leaders now have to agree on priority groups and distribution criteria, while considering the readiness of vaccination services, as well as transport and storage requirements for the deployment of vaccines.

The so-called risk groups, such as people with chronic diseases, the elderly, and health workers, should be vaccinated first, according to the European Commission. The EU previously estimated that these groups represent at least 40 percent of its population.

The European Medicines Agencies (EMA) is responsible for monitoring the quality, safety and efficiency of potential vaccines, analysing data from clinical trials.

EMA told Reuters on Monday that they had not received the latest results from Pfizer and BioNTech yet, but they had already evaluated non-clinical data.

According to the World Health Organization, there are currently 47 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation, but only 10 in phase 3.

EU leaders are expected to discuss the bloc's vaccines rollout and coordination efforts on 19 November via videoconference.

EU outlines vaccine roll-out plan

The European Commission urged member states to scale up efforts to flatten the curve of the second wave of Covid-19 and recommended common measures for the roll-out of potential vaccines.

How EU aims - hopefully - to secure vaccine by end of 2020

The European Commission hopes to have 30m doses of AstraZeneca's potential coronavirus vaccine before the end of this year, to be distributed on a population-based pro-rata basis among the 27 EU countries - until the 300m doses negotiated arrive.

Commission plans strategy to 'maximise' vaccine access

The EU Commission plans a vaccine stategy to make sure all citizens have access to it once it is ready, while it is also seeking to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on securing the vaccine.

EU urges rollout of rapid coronavirus tests

The European Commission recommended a slew of anti-corona measures, urging member states scale up testing capacity, by increasing the use of rapid antigen tests, in order to help ease travel restrictions and prevent laboratory collapses.

Column

What a Spanish novelist can teach us about communality

In a world where cultural clashes and sectarianism seems to be on the increase, Spanish novelist Javier Cercas (b.1962) takes the opposite approach. He cherishes both life in the big city and in the countryside.

Latest News

  1. Europe's TV union wooing Lavrov for splashy interview
  2. ECB: eurozone home prices could see 'disorderly' fall
  3. Adapting to Southern Europe's 'new normal' — from droughts to floods
  4. Want to stop forced migration from West Africa? Start by banning bottom trawling
  5. Germany unsure if Orbán fit to be 'EU president'
  6. EU Parliament chief given report on MEP abuse 30 weeks before sanction
  7. EU clashes over protection of workers exposed to asbestos
  8. EU to blacklist nine Russians over jailing of dissident

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us