As the world rushes to develop a vaccine, the European Union, hard hit by COVID-19, fears it may not have sufficient supplies, especially if a vaccine were developed in the United States or China. He ruled out the possibility of skipping the third phase of a vaccine trial, which he said would be needed to be sure a vaccine was safe and effective. The EMA is also looking at 115 different therapeutics, or treatments, for the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 300,000 deaths globally, according to World Health Organization data. A leading EU lawmaker said the European Union should circumvent pharmaceutical companies’ intellectual property rights if a vaccine were developed outside the bloc, a new sign of EU fears of lagging behind in the global race. The United States and China have been wary of supporting a global funding campaign promoted by the EU which raised $8 billion to research, manufacture and distribute a possible vaccine and treatments for COVID-19 this month.

Source: bd News24 May 14, 2020 11:16 UTC