EFPIA, Vaccines Europe Emphasize Need to Avoid Reactionary Measures to Vaccine Exports

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and Vaccines Europe have stressed the need for the European Council to avoid any reactionary measures that could disrupt the production and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.

European Union (EU) leaders are meeting via video conference on March 25–26, 2021 to discuss the COVID-19 epidemiological situation, among other items. EFPIA and Vaccines Europe have emphasized that any potential proposals to restrict exports by the commission at the meeting could lead to retaliations from other regions.

Owing to the nature of biological product manufacture, including vaccines, a global supply and effort is needed to source all the required component parts and materials. If export restrictions are put in place by the EU, it could lead to essential materials being prevented from importation into the region and, hence, placing EU citizens at risk due to a lack of available vaccines.

“Just one year on from the [World Health Organization] declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, four vaccines have been approved for use by the [European Medicines Agency], 69.5 million doses distributed to EU/EAA countries and over 55 million doses administered to citizens across Europe. This is an incredible collaborative, scientific, manufacturing, and logistical achievement involving the EU institutions, governments, health-systems, regulators, and the research-based pharmaceutical industry. To take any measure that could be perceived as ‘vaccine nationalism’ at this critical moment would put this remarkable progress in severe jeopardy,” it was reported in a March 23, 2021 press release from EFPIA.

Source: EFPIA