HERA, the European Commission‘s Health Preparedness, and Response Authority concluded a contract with the company Bavarian Nordic to purchase 109 090 doses of their 3rd generation vaccines in response to the current monkeypox outbreaks. As the number of cases continues to grow, this agreement will make vaccines rapidly available to all EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland.
Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, said: “Securing vaccines rapidly and efficiently to all EU Member States in response to the monkeypox outbreaks is our moral duty and a concrete deliverable of our tangible capacity to protect people. We will spare no effort in constructing a true genuine robust European Health Union at the service of our citizens. This is why for the first time we are using the EU budget, through the EU4Health program, to directly purchase vaccines for the Member States. Efficient preparedness and response to emerging health threats is our common goal.”
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, added: “For the first time, we buy these vaccines with the EU4Health program and we donate them to our Member States. The outbreak of monkeypox has shown the importance of a united EU approach to preparedness and response to emerging health threats. With the agreement signed, we ensure that the Member States will have access to much-needed vaccines to protect people exposed to monkeypox. This is a tangible demonstration of our reinforced capacity to respond rapidly to health crises, but also the rapid and collective response that a European Health Union can deliver.”
The Commission’s Health and digital executive agency (HaDEA) purchased the third-generation vaccine for and on behalf of HERA. HERA will then make the vaccines available to the EU Member States on a pro-rata basis, starting with those most in need. This is the first time the EU budget is being used through the EU4Health program to directly purchase vaccines for the Member States.
The 3rd generation vaccine is currently only authorized at the EU level to protect adults against smallpox. However, the smallpox vaccine also protects people from monkeypox, since this virus is closely related to the smallpox virus. Some Member States have already granted national exemptions allowing the temporary use of the vaccine against the monkeypox virus. The European Medicines Agency stands ready to support the Member States to facilitate such exemptions and has proactively contacted the company to accelerate the regulatory process.
Based on the largest number of cases, deliveries will already start by the end of the month for prioritized Member States, which have granted national exceptions for the vaccine.
