EC and Moderna Conclude Exploratory Talks on Vaccine Supply for Europe

The European Commission (EC) and Moderna have concluded exploratory talks on the potential purchase of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate for Europeans, it was announced in an Aug. 24, 2020 press release.

Moderna is the fifth company to have concluded talks with the EC on the issue of COVID-19 vaccine supply for the European market. The potential contract between the EC and Moderna would provide the provision for all EU member states to be able to purchase the vaccine, with an additional option of donating vaccine doses to lower- and middle-income countries.

Initially, under the contractual framework of the agreement, the EC would purchase 80 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine on behalf of all EU member states and will have the option to purchase an additional 80 million doses. These additional doses will be supplied once the vaccine is proven safe and effective against COVID-19.

“After intense negotiations, the EC has now concluded talks with a fifth pharmaceutical company, to enable rapid access to a vaccine against coronavirus for Europeans,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EC, in the press release. “We invest in companies using diverse technologies, to increase our chances to have vaccines that are safe and effective. We continue talks with other companies—as we want to make sure that vaccines are rapidly available on the market. European investments in coronavirus vaccines will benefit the whole world and will help us beat this virus.”

“We appreciate the EC’s collaboration in helping to ensure that Europeans will have access to a safe and effective vaccine, and we are proud that the EC has recognized the potential of our mRNA vaccine technology,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a company press release issued on Aug. 24, 2020. “We are scaling up our international manufacturing capacity outside the United States with our strategic partners, Lonza in Switzerland and Rovi in Spain, to be in a position to address this global health emergency with a vaccine that is widely available once approved for use.”

Sources: EC, Moderna