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(BRUSSELS) – The European Commission signed a contract with pharmaceutical company Gilead Tuesday to secure treatment doses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, for EU Member States and the UK.
Remdesivir is a treatment against COVID-19 for adults and adolescents as from age 12 with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen. Veklury was the first medicine authorised at EU level for treatment of COVID-19, facilitatating early access to medicines in public health emergency situations, such as the current pandemic.
Less than a month after the drug’s authorisation, the EU executive signed the contract which allows, from early August onwards, in order to meet immediate needs, batches of Veklury to made available with the coordination and support of the Commission.
“The Commission is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to secure access to safe and efficient treatments, and is supporting the development of vaccines against coronavirus,” said Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides: “Yesterday’s agreement is another important step forward in our fight to overcome this disease
In recent weeks, the Commission has been working with Gilead to reach an agreement to ensure that stocks of the first treatment authorised against COVID-19 are delivered to the EU.
The EU’s ‘Emergency Support Instrument’ is to finance the contract, worth a total of EUR 63 million. This will ensure the treatment of approximately 30,000 patients presenting severe COVID-19 symptoms. This will help to cover the current needs over the next few months, while ensuring a fair distribution at EU level, based on an allocation key, taking into account the advice from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The Commission is now also preparing a joint procurement for further supplies of the medicine, expected to cover additional needs and supplies as from October onwards.
