And a sixth. The European Commission announced on Tuesday 24 November that it has approved a new advance purchase agreement with Moderna (see EUROPE 12605/2). The purchase, the price of which remains confidential, is for up to 160 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
“The coronavirus pandemic has affected our lives severely. Many people are ill or have lost their jobs, and right now, many Europeans are worrying that they can’t see their families or close friends for Christmas”, commented Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement to the press. “While restriction measures can slow down the spread of the virus, only a safe and effective vaccine will provide a lasting solution. Vaccination will help us to end the pandemic”.
Driven by this conviction the Commission is working to sign, on behalf of the Member States, advance purchase agreements with vaccine producers - so far it has already done so with AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Johnson&Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac -, Moderna, which claims that its candidate vaccine offers 94.5% efficacy, according to a preliminary study, is thus the sixth partner (see EUROPE 12602/2).
In her statement to the press, Ursula von der Leyen also added that she was “still working “ on another contract, most likely with the American firm Novavax. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)