About: vaccines Archives

The European Commission is seeking a mandate from EU countries to buy promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates in advance from pharmaceutical firms, as long as they are not produced solely in the United States, officials said.

Oxfam is urging governments and pharmaceutical companies to guarantee that vaccines, tests, and treatments will be patent-free and equitably distributed to all nations and people, ahead of the World Health Assembly next week.

Chinese hackers are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research, US authorities said Wednesday (13 May), ratcheting up tensions between the superpowers as markets slumped on warnings from the US Federal Reserve that prolonged shutdowns could cause "lasting damage."

Hopes rose in the fight against the coronavirus on Monday (4 May) as world leaders pledged billions of euros for a vaccine in a special telethon and European countries edged out of lockdown.

How to ensure access for all to a coronavirus vaccine should be the priority for world leaders. Dr Bernard Pécoul offers five ideas leaders should consider this week as they aim to raise €7.5 billion to fund vaccine research.

The recent COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated that we must not let down our guard on  routine immunisations, Dr Hans Kluge, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Europe, stressed in a speech marking European Immunisation Week 2020.

The European Commission said on Monday (16 March) it offered up to €80 million of financial support to German company CureVac to scale up development and production of a coronavirus vaccine in Europe.

Following the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, which has now infected more than 600 people and claimed the lives of 18, health authorities around the world are now mobilising to try to contain the spread of the disease.

The European Union authorised the marketing of a vaccine against Ebola on Monday (11 November), permitting the first wider commercial use of a protection that has helped stem an outbreak in DR Congo.

85% of EU citizens believe vaccines are an effective way of preventing diseases, but almost half of them think vaccines "can often produce severe side-effects," according to a new Eurobarometer survey.

Brexit, particularly the prospect of 'no deal', poses a serious threat to animal welfare standards and food security, writes Carel du Marchie Sarvaas.

The European Commission may be planning to hike spending for its flagship research programme, but health and scientific research, particularly into new vaccines, was not one of the winners from the proposal announced on Thursday (7 June).

An innovation-driven approach – ranging from vaccination to other health management solutions and appropriate biosecurity measures – will ensure more sustainable future livestock farming and protection of public health, as animal diseases do not recognise borders, Roxane Feller told EURACTIV.com.

If the scientific community sticks together and makes a coordinated effort, it can be very influential in shaping national vaccination plans, Italian professor Paolo Bonanni told EURACTIV.com, citing Italy as a prime example.

The European Commission could play a decisive role in further harmonising the regulatory framework of vaccines and therefore avoid delays in the supply of vaccines in case of shortages or emergencies, Vaccines Europe told EURACTIV.com. 

Public health authorities at EU and national level have started working to “occupy more of the space on social media”, as it is currently almost entirely taken up by people who are against vaccination, Dr Andrea Ammon told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Parents have a particular responsibility to protect their children, as they are more vulnerable to infections, but vaccination should be seen as a lifelong approach that applies to adults too, centre-right MEP Renate Sommer told EURACTIV.com.

The European Commission will propose a new law on Health Technology Assessments to kick off a busy EU health agenda in 2018.

An electronic immunisation record system, which aims to better monitor vaccination among populations, will need clear privacy rules and individuals should be the owners of their own data, Patricia Massetti told EURACTIV.com in an interview. Patricia Massetti is an associate vice-president …

The European Commission supports the creation of an electronic immunisation record system that will help EU member states enhance their cross-border cooperation and simultaneously enhance prevention of infectious diseases.

The EU is analysing the aid funding gap left by Donald Trump’s decision to ban US federal funding for NGOs providing birth control support or abortions in developing countries, Development Commissioner Neven Mimica told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.

Whether or not Donald Trump is taking part in efforts to protect the planet, inventions and technological progress are filling an important gap and the EU is playing a role bigger than generally assumed, writes Eli Hadzhieva.