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The EU Commission has signed a second contract for the purchase of a future corona vaccine.
The Brussels authority reached an agreement with the manufacturers Sanofi from France and Glaxo-Smith-Kline (GSK) from Great Britain on the delivery of up to 300 million units.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that in view of the increasing number of corona infections, an effective vaccine is more important than ever.
The new treaty increases the chances that people in the EU and around the world will gradually be able to resume their daily lives.
The EU had already signed a contract for up to 400 million vaccine doses with the manufacturer AstraZeneca in June and is planning more with other companies with promising vaccine candidates.
However, none of these vaccines has yet been approved.
The purchase agreements with advance payment are intended to accelerate the development and mass production of the vaccines.
According to the commission, the vaccine from Sanofi and GSK has been tested since September; the decisive phase 3 study is to follow by the end of 2020.
If there are no obstacles, the manufacturers want the vaccine to be available in the second half of 2021, the commission said.
The new contract stipulates that EU countries can buy up to 300 million doses if the vaccine is approved.
In addition, states can donate units to poorer countries.
Sanofi and GSK are also striving to deliver a significant portion of their vaccine to the international Covax initiative.
This is intended to ensure that people worldwide have access to a future vaccine.
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fdi / dpa