The European Commission and Moderna have reached an agreement to better address Member States needs for COVID-19 vaccines for the late summer and winter period. This will ensure national authorities have access to the vaccines, including variant-adapted vaccines if authorised, at the time they need them for their own vaccination campaigns and to support their […]
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HERA signs Joint Procurement contract for Pandemic Influenza Vaccine
Today, the European Commission, via its Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, signed a framework contract for the joint procurement of Adjupanrix, a pandemic influenza vaccine, with the pharmaceutical company GSK. 12 Member States and other joint procurement countries are participating in the agreement, under which they can purchase up to 85,000,000 vaccine doses if necessary, in the […]
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Council adopts proposals aimed at securing the supply of medicines
Background With these proposals, the European Union intends to facilitate the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on the ground, in line with the measures for Northern Ireland presented by the Commission on 13 October 2021. European Health Union: a stronger role for the European Medicines Agency About the proposals EU ambassadors today agreed on […]
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The European Commission considers making COVID-19 vaccine compulsory
The Commission is today putting forward a common and coordinated EU approach to address effectively the challenges from the resurgence of COVID-19 in many Member States this autumn. There are rapidly rising case numbers and a renewed pressure on hospitals, which calls for urgent and determined action. The new potential threat from the Omicron variant […]
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Nearly half a million lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination in less than a year
A new study by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published in Eurosurveillance estimates that 470,000 lives have been saved among those aged 60 years and over since the start of COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in 33 countries across the WHO European Region. This estimate does not […]
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New future-proof EU pharmaceutical policy
Affordable medicines, preventing shortages and a climate-neutral industry – Parliament presses for a new EU pharmaceutical policy. During the plenary session in November 2021, the European Parlimanet set out a series of recommendations for the update of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation. Faster access In 2019, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorised 103 orphan drugs – which are […]
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Europe recommends Covid-19 vaccination for children 5 to 11 years of age
The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has given the green light on Thursday to EU countries to vaccinate children between 5 and 11 years of age against Covid, considering that the benefits outweigh the risks, especially in children with health problems that increase the risk of serious disease. The Comirnaty vaccine, […]
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EMA evaluating data on booster dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen
EMA has started evaluating an application for the use of a booster dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen to be given at least two months after the first dose to people aged 18 years and older. EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) will carry out an accelerated assessment of data submitted by the company that markets the vaccine. These […]
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European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives go-ahead for use of anticovid tablet
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives the green light to the use of the anticovid pill that halves the risk of death and hospitalisation. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has endorsed the use of Merk and Ridgeback’s ‘Lagevrio’ (molnupiravir) to treat Covid-19. With this approval, Merk takes the lead in the […]
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