In its endeavour to further boost up the supplies of COVID-19 doses once they are available for use, the European Commission has approved a contract under the EU Vaccines Strategy, a sixth of the lot with Moderna, the American Biotechnology Company based out of Cambridge in Massachusetts. The contract is all about the initial purchase of 80 million doses on behalf of European Union Members and also another 80 million that would be supplied once the vaccine has proven its efficiency and safety against the dreaded disease.
The European Union has already had similar contracts signed with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, BioNTech-Pfizer and an approved contract with CureVac. This shows a broad portfolio of suppliers matrix that is already taking shape as far as the continent is concerned. Europe being sufficiently well-stocked with a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines goes on to display its readiness to tackle the distribution challenge once the doses are seen as full proof. As per the understanding, post fulfilling their numbers, the member countries may either pass over the vaccines to lower, middle-lower, underprivileged countries or re-direct them to other non-member European states.
As per Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, “the agreement with Moderna for 160 million doses is the sixth one and we are working on another one too. The idea is to set-up one of the most comprehensive and stuffed COVID-19 vaccine portfolios in the world so that the life can come back on to the track, quicker than imagined.” Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health & Food Safety is of an opinion that the steps taken in this regard are a pure demonstration of the efficiency of the European Health Union. “We are intending on delivering effective & sustainable results for the citizens and these contracts are representation for our cooperation in the health landscape in the future. For us, no one is safe until everyone is safe”
Things that Go Into Moderna’s Favour
The commission decided to go ahead with this vaccine due to a thorough scientific assessment as well as the technology used. This and the fact that Moderna has the production capacity to supply to the whole of Europe went strongly in its favour. Moderna, a U.S. based manufacturer has developed a new class of vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA ) that is transported into cells by lipid nanoparticles. The fundamental is the use of this molecule as a data carrier with the help of which the body gets to make proteins and thus increases the immunity levels to fight out COVID-19.
The Role of the European Commission
In June this year, The European Commission came up with a strategy to push the development and deployment of a safe and effective channel for vaccines, once they are okayed to go ahead with. Since the vaccine development had been going on at a brisk pace, it was decided that individual EU countries come up with their plans to get fully prepared. The intent with which the European Commission has been working in this regard goes beyond boundaries. It was always agreed that the vaccination upon its arrival isn’t only going to be for the member countries, but everyone across the world.
