The European Commission proposed on Thursday that the 27 member countries join forces to develop and distribute drugs against the coronavirus.
In addition to the contracts to develop vaccines achieved through a similar initiative, the executive arm of the European Union announced that it will propose 10 potential treatments against COVID-19, with the goal of authorizing three of them by October.
So far, the antiviral remedy remdesivir is the only one authorized to treat coronavirus patients in the EU.
“Vaccines save lives, but for now they cannot eradicate COVID-19. We need a robust treatment proposal to limit hospitalizations, reduce recovery times and reduce mortality rates, ”said Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
Vaccines, the Commission said, will not eradicate the coronavirus overnight and there is an urgent need to develop drugs and treatments to treat patients either in the hospital or at home, even those suffering from long-lasting symptoms.
Joint requests may be made with the approval of the member states; a minimum of five countries will be required to initiate a procedure.
The Commission added that it will invest 90 million euros (108 million dollars) in studies and tests and another 40 million euros (48 million dollars) to facilitate manufacturing and access to medicines and treatments.
In addition to the three drugs it plans to approve in October, the Commission mentioned two other treatments that could receive approval by the end of the year.
As part of its vaccination strategy, the Commission acted as an investor and funded pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines, increase production capacities, and intensify research. The Commission already has 2.6 billion doses and is negotiating with companies to get more.
However, some EU nations have criticized the strategy of coordinated initiatives, blaming the bloc for delays in the vaccination campaign and a dispute with AstraZeneca.
Since then, vaccinations have been speeded up and a quarter of all EU inhabitants have already received a dose, according to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who also assured that the block has enough doses to vaccinate 70% of all adults by the end of July.
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