On Thursday, 28 March, 15 Member States and the European Commission signed framework contracts with the pharmaceutical company Seqirus, providing them with better conditions for the production and supply of pandemic influenza vaccines.
They thus made use of Decision 1082/2013/EU on the Joint Procurement Agreement (see EUROPE 11457/8). This decision allows at least four Member States to join forces to reserve production capacity against all serious cross-border health threats, namely communicable diseases (pandemic influenza, seasonal influenza, AIDS, etc.), chemical or also environmental threats (including risks related to climate change).
Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal and Slovakia as well as the European Commission will therefore purchase a minimum quantity of vaccines and pay an annual reservation fee to reserve production capacity. When asked about the amounts committed, the European Commission did not wish to respond, citing Seqirus’ intention not to disclose the confidentiality clauses of the contract.
In its press release, the Commission further stated that “negotiations are ongoing with another pharmaceutical company in view of signing a second round of contracts which will maximise the vaccine coverage according to the specific needs of the participating Member States and will further improve their preparedness for the next pandemic”. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)