The European Commission signed a joint procurement framework contract Monday for the supply of 2,250,000 Veklury (Remdesivir) vials with the pharmaceutical company Gilead, on behalf of 13 EU countries.
The contract was signed by the EU’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), a directorate-general of the Commission created to prepare the EU for a future pandemic and to avoid the mistakes made during the EU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The antiviral treatment can be used to treat COVID-19 in adult and adolescent hospitalised patients with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen or it can be used to treat adults who are at an increased risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.
The contract signed by HERA will run for a maximum of 3 years. It is the third of its kind, following the expiration of the second contract in January 2024.
Joint procurement is an EU level mechanism that enable the 37 countries that signed the Joint Procurement Agreement to jointly procure medical countermeasures as an alternative or complement to procurement at national level, on a voluntary and flexible basis. This mechanism contributes to EU-level preparedness for public health crises or pandemics.
In line with its mandate on preparedness, HERA continues to work closely with the participating countries to identify and implement priorities for joint procurement.
