Four EU Countries Form Alliance for COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Mfg
France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are joining forces in negotiations with potential developers and manufacturers of a novel coronavirus vaccine. The four countries have agreed to form the Inclusive Vaccine Alliance to accelerate the development process and ensure global access to an effective vaccine.
The four countries are exploring promising vaccine initiatives and are in discussions with a number of pharmaceutical companies. They intend to have the vaccines manufactured in Europe if possible.
The alliance is exploring promising vaccine development initiatives to secure enough coronavirus vaccines for countries in the European Union (EU) and beyond. The alliance also wants pharmaceutical companies to agree that any vaccine developed must be accessible, available and affordable everywhere in the EU. The alliance is also working to make a portion of vaccines available to low-income countries, including in Africa.
The four countries want to involve the European Commission in negotiations and provide other EU member states with the opportunity to participate in initiatives resulting from the alliance.