EU states joint procurement agreement

● Malta signs agreement guaranteeing vaccine availability in event of pandemic

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne has signed the EU states’ joint procurement agreement on behalf of Malta that guarantees the availability and protection of sourcing of relevant vaccines for Maltese citizens in the event of a future influenza pandemic.

The announcement that Malta would be signing the agreement was made by Mr Fearne during a Foreign and European Affairs Committee session earlier this week. The signing ceremony, organised by the European Commission, was held on Friday at the end of the EPSCO Council in Luxembourg.

Mr Fearne, who returned to Malta yesterday, told The Malta Independent on Sunday: “The joint procurement agreement signed yesterday by a large majority of EU member states – Malta included – at the end of the European Health Council is an important development that guarantees adequate vaccine procurement in the event of a future influenza pandemic.

“It gives small countries such as Malta the peace of mind of knowing that when the next pandemic strikes, the Maltese population will be well-covered.

“The EU Council also discussed the excessive high prices being put on new drugs and urged the pharmaceutical industry to keep public health considerations foremost when structuring prices,” he said.

This mechanism aims at improving solidarity between participating member states by guaranteeing a minimum level of equitable access to pandemic influenza vaccines, improving their purchasing power.

The need for such an agreement is a result of the 2009 HIN1 influenza pandemic, which highlighted the need to improve the mechanism through which EU member states procure vaccines and medication since, inevitably, they were competing with each other for limited amounts of available vaccine, which weakened their purchasing power. The agreement will enable the steering committee to be established and rapidly convened, followed by the launch of the first invitation to tender and, in due course, the signing of the first reservation contracts for pandemic vaccines.