Press Release: Public health: Joint purchasing of vaccines and medicines becomes a reality in the EU

On 10 April 2014, the Commission approved a Joint Procurement Agreement, which would enable all EU countries to procure pandemic vaccines and other medical countermeasures as a group, rather than individually.

Joint procurement would enable Member States to ensure that pandemic vaccines and medicines were available in sufficient quantities and at a correct price should a cross border health threat emerge. The mechanism would benefit all EU countries, in particular the ones which encountered difficulties in purchasing vaccines developed for the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. 27 European Union countries declared their intention to sign the Agreement.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Health & Consumers: Public health: Preparedness and response: Policy: Decision on serious cross-border threats to health http://ec.europa.eu/health/preparedness_response/policy/decision/index_en.htm

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