European Health Union: Commission secures almost 3.5 million COVID-19 treatments through joint procurement contract

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission’s Health Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has signed a joint procurement Framework Contract for the supply of Paxlovid, a SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor oral treatment for patients with COVID-19 at risk of developing severe disease. The contract is signed with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and will run for an initial period of 12 months.

Thirteen EU and EEA Member States and EU candidate countries are participating in the procurement. They will be able to purchase up to 3,427,517 five-day treatment courses of the orally administered Paxlovid.

Paxlovid can be used for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of the disease becoming severe. Paxlovid is expected to be effective against the current circulating and dominant strains of the virus.

Background

The Commission is committed to build a stronger and active European Health Union that is prepared and able to respond to emerging health threats. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of coordination among European countries and the added-value of a common response in the face of cross-border health threats.

The EU’s Joint Procurement Agreement offers 36 participating countries the possibility to jointly procure medical countermeasures as an alternative or complement to procurement at national level.

HERA continues to work closely with the participating countries to identify and implement priorities for joint procurements.

The aim of the joint procurement mechanism is to secure a more equitable access to specific medical countermeasures and to improve the security of supply, together with more balanced prices for the participating EU countries.