HQ Team
June 12, 2024: Fifteen member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area will procure up to 40 million doses of avian influenza virus vaccine from CSL Seqirus UK Ltd., over a maximum period of four years to prevent the spread or potential outbreaks of bird flu in the region.
The European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority as part of its mandate on preparedness, has signed a contract on behalf of participating Member States, a joint procurement framework contract for the supply of up to 665,000 pre-pandemic vaccine doses of the “up-to-date zoonotic influenza vaccine” and an option for a further 40 million does.
“While the threat of avian influenza to the general population remains low, we need to protect people at higher risk, such as poultry and farm workers or certain veterinarians. Today we announce an agreement on behalf of participating countries to secure access to over 40 million doses of avian influenza vaccine,” said Stella Kyriakides, European Union Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
“We are ready to take further action should the situation evolve in the future. Our European Health Union serves to protect people’s lives and livelihoods, and being prepared for health threats is at the core of our work,” she said in a statement.
Only authorised vaccine in EU
The Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Sequris is intended for those “most exposed to potential transmission” of avian influenza from birds or animals, such as poultry farm workers and veterinarians, according to the statement.
The vaccine is the only preventive zoonotic avian influenza vaccine currently authorised in the European Union. Fifteen EU and European Economic Area member states are participating in this “voluntary procurement.”
The contract allows each participating country to take into account their public health context and order vaccines depending on national need.
Finland first
Shipments are currently being prepared to Finland for immediate vaccinations of the workers at risk of exposure, at the member state’s request. Shipments to other participating countries will follow, according to the statement.
Seqirus UK Ltd has an EU-wide modified marketing authorisation for the vaccine meant for adults, which protects against flu caused by H5 strains of the influenza A virus.
The EU’s mechanism of joint procurement is laid down in the EU’s Joint Procurement Agreement for Medical Countermeasures, which is signed by 36 countries, including all EU and EEA Member States.
The mechanism allows the participating countries to jointly procure medical countermeasures on a voluntary and flexible basis. These countermeasures include vaccines, therapeutics, and medical devices, and these can be used as an alternative or to complement procurement at the national level.
Medicines alliance
The EU pact secures a more equitable access to specific medical countermeasures and improves the security of supply, together with more balanced prices for the participating countries. It also contributes to the EU-level preparedness for public health crises or pandemics.
The Critical Medicines Alliance of the EU unveiled in 2024, will also identify potential ‘pipeline investment projects’ to bolster manufacturing within the EU, with an emphasis on securing EU and national funding.
Market incentives, such as capacity reservation contracts and joint procurement, will also be explored to reinforce the supply of critical medicines.
