“We are [European Commission] accelerating the investigation. Yesterday [Monday, 16 March] I spoke with the managers of an innovative company that is working on a promising technology to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus”, says the president of the community executive, Ursula von der Leyen, through a video published on the social network Twitter.
Recalling that the European Union (EU) has already made available up to €80 million to CureVac, a company in Tübingen, Germany, the official says she hopes that “with this support, it will be possible to have a vaccine on the market, perhaps by autumn”.
“This can save lives in Europe and the rest of the world,” says Ursula von der Leyen in the video.
Even so, the leader of the community executive admits that “there is still much to be done to combat this virus” in the EU.
And therefore, she stresses that “everyone can contribute”, advising citizens immediately to stay home “and to reduce social contact”.
On Monday, the European Commission announced support of up to €80 million for the German laboratory that is working on a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus, after an alleged offer from the US administration, denied by biopharmaceuticals.
The institution led by Ursula von der Leyen explained that this money would be provided in the form of an EU guarantee for a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) in this amount, under the InnovFin infectious disease financing mechanism and the community programme for Horizon 2020 research.
The information was released after, also on Monday, CureVac denied having received an offer from the US Government to reserve its discovery to the Americans.
On Sunday, 15 March, the German newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” cited unidentified sources from the German government who claimed that the owner of CureVac, a pharmaceutical company, had attended a meeting with President Donald Trump earlier this month, having received a generous offer to guarantee his work exclusively for the United States.
The newspaper also said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be disputing with the company the need for the vaccine, when ready, to also be used in Europe, which is currently the main focus of the pandemic.
“To make it clear about the coronavirus: CureVac did not receive an offer from the United States Government or related entities, before, during or since the meeting with the White House task force on 2 March”, wrote the director of the German laboratory, in the company’s account on the social network Twitter.
CureVac’s director of operations, Hans Werner Haas, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper that his company had actually participated in a meeting with President Donald Trump, but denied the version of any offer to buy the rights to the new product.