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EU's second contract on vaccine purchase enters into force

BRUSSELS, Sept 18 (KUNA) -- The European Commission Friday announced that a second contract with a pharmaceutical company on the purchase of vaccine against coronavirus entered into force following the contract's formal signature between the French Sanofi and the British GSK.
The contract will allow all EU Member States to purchase up to 300 million doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine.
The Commission in a statement said it has already signed a contract with the AstraZeneca company and continues discussing similar agreements with other vaccine manufacturers.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, commented that "with today's contract with Sanofi-GSK, the European Commission shows once again its commitment to ensuring equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines not only for its citizens but also for the world's poorest and most vulnerable people." The two companies started a Phase 1-2 study in September, followed by a Phase 3 study by the end of 2020.
If successful, and subject to regulatory considerations, the companies aim to have the vaccine available by the second half of 2021, noted the statement. (end) nk