Debate: Vaccines and therapeutics in the context of Covid-
Date: THURSDAY, 14 MAY 2020
Speaker: Nikolina Brnjac
Language: EN

This pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge for Europe and the world. It has brought huge human losses and suffering, as well as social and economic damage to millions of people. It has put our healthcare systems under exceptional pressure. It has wide-ranging implications for all of us in every part of the European Union. As we gradually start lifting confinement measures, we will have to learn to live with the coronavirus under strict conditions and constant monitoring. Only the development, production and deployment of effective and safe vaccines and treatments will hopefully provide us with a lasting solution to this global health crisis.  Vaccines and treatments will be crucial for Europe, but they will be even more critical for our most vulnerable partners with fragile health systems such as Africa. Our ultimate and common goal, therefore, is to accelerate the development, manufacture and delivery of vaccines and treatments for everyone, everywhere at an affordable price in the shortest possible time.  The EU and its Member States have embarked on a worldwide race to find a safe and effective vaccine and treatments to counter the spread of the coronavirus. Regarding activities at EU level, already on 10 March at their first meeting after the COVID—19 pandemic reached Europe, EU leaders committed to supporting research as part of our common response to the outbreak. The European Parliament has also raised issues relating to the development of vaccines and treatments in its resolution on EU coordinated action to combat the COVID—19 pandemic adopted on 17 April.  On April 7, the Croatian Presidency organised an informal videoconference where ministers responsible for research and innovation showed their determination to coordinate their actions and welcomed ten actions for immediate response to the crisis.  On 7 May, in an informal videoconference organised by the Commission, many Member States supported the idea of preparing a COVID—19 vaccination immunisation plan. To accelerate the coronavirus vaccine, the Commission has launched a dedicated COVID—19 data portal that enables researchers to upload, access and analyse research data. Currently, there are more than 90 vaccines in development around the globe, but only eight are so far subject to clinical trials.  Three candidates for vaccines are receiving support from EU funding through the research programme Horizon 2020. Member States are also investing in several candidates.  Moving to treatments, it is encouraging to note that there are so far more than 40 developers of potential treatments for COVID—19 who have contacted the European Medicines Agency and the Member States for scientific advice. Most of the treatments proposed are medicines currently authorised for other diseases. Clinical trials are currently ongoing to determine their efficiency for the treatment of COVID—19 patients. The EU has allocated resources via Horizon 2020 to Discovery, an EU—wide clinical trial to test treatments involving more than 3 000 European patients. The EU has already committed over EUR 500 million to different research and innovation initiatives, including approximately EUR 48 million to 18 projects on vaccines and treatments via Horizon 2020 research programmes, and EUR 72 million in public funds for a therapeutics and diagnostics innovative medicine initiative with an additional EUR 45 million in expected contributions from the industry.  Additionally, the EU has redirected EUR 150 million from SMEs and start—ups for innovative solutions to tackle the outbreak via the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator programme and up to EUR 80 million to CureVac, a European vaccine developer, by a common Commission aid initiative. In order to respond to the urgency, the European Medicines Agency will speed up its regulatory procedures so that marketing authorisation of safe, effective and high-quality COVID—19 related medicines and vaccines can be guaranteed without unnecessary delay.  Turning now to activities at international level, on 24 April, the WHO launched global cooperation for the accelerated development, production and equitable access to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. In response to this call, on 4 May, the European Union, several Member States and other G20 countries co—hosted the International Coronavirus Global Response Pledging Conference. The initiative has raised EUR 7.4 billion, including EUR 4 billion from the EU and its Member States. This is a very promising and important first step.  There are a number of key challenges. Once new therapies are identified, the challenge will be to scale up production and distribution to make them available to patients throughout the world at an affordable price.  As regards vaccines, the first challenge is the patient’s safety and to produce a vaccine in extremely high quantities, since demand is global.  At the European level, already in December 2018 the Council adopted a recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine—preventable diseases, which has the double aim of reducing inequalities between Member States and increasing security of vaccine supply. EU instruments such as joint procurement could be used in that spirit to help ensure fair distribution and solidarity among all Member States. In order to tackle other important issues, such as securing sufficient and autonomous production capacity in the European Union, fair licensing and fair intellectual property rights conditions, it is necessary to involve all concerned actors, including industry and the public sector.  In this context, I find it very encouraging to see that several manufacturers have agreed to pool their resources. Public authorities, pharmaceutical companies and multilateral organisations must work together to reach the common goal of making vaccines and treatments available to as many as possible.  We will defeat the COVID—19 crisis and we will do it with a shared spirit of European and global solidarity and responsibility.