The European Commission also wants to buy drugs against Covid-19 on behalf of the EU countries.
Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said it is “essential” that the EU provides sufficient medicines against the disease in addition to a stock of vaccines.
According to the Danish, EU policy should focus on the entire phase, from research into and developing Covid-19 drugs through to their application. Several pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Merck and Roche, are already investing in treatments to prevent Covid-19 patients from ending up in the hospital and help sick people recover more quickly.
So far, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has only approved one product for the EU. This is remdesivir, which is administered to Covid-19 patients who need oxygen. The committee has already purchased several tens of thousands of doses for the EU from the American manufacturer Gilead Sciences.
According to EU sources, the committee hopes that three or more drugs can be allowed on the European market this year.