Monkeypox: Commission secures treatment doses to meet immediate needs

Today, the Commission has secured over 10,000 treatment courses of tecovirimat to treat Monkeypox.

This emergency procurement is funded by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and channelled via rescEU to treat patients in Member States with immediate needs.

Tecovirimat is produced by the pharmaceutical company Meridian/SIGA.

Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “Today, with our Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, we have secured over 10,000 treatment courses to help those affected by Monkeypox. In addition to the over 330,000 vaccines already purchased by the EU, with these treatments we will help Member States meet immediate needs and ensure care for more patients in Europe. The declining trend of Monkeypox cases in the EU is encouraging but it does not mean that the threat has passed or that we can lower our guard. Preparedness is the fundament of our European Health Union.”

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “Monkeypox is one of the priority threats identified as part of the rescEU strategic reserves. These batches of monkeypox antivirals will offer an additional level of protection our citizens. The stocks will be available to Member States on an urgent needs-basis.”

While this emergency procurement will ensure that urgent needs are met, an ongoing joint procurement driven by HERA and EU Member States will also address the medium and longer-term needs of EU countries over time.

The purchase of the 10,000 treatment courses of tecovirimat can be accessed by all participating states of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Background

From the onset of the monkeypox outbreak, the Commission has been closely following the evolution of the disease in Europe and supporting the preparedness and response efforts of all Member States.

The purchase and donation of over 334,000 vaccine doses, produced by Bavarian Nordic, is just one example of the support being provided to Member States. One of the key goals of HERA is to ensure the development, manufacturing, procurement, and equitable distribution of key medical countermeasures.

rescEU  

Emerging threats, such as medical emergencies, but also chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents may overwhelm the ability of EU Member States to help each other, especially when several European countries face the same type of disaster simultaneously.

Following the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, rescEU provides an extra layer of protection and ensures a faster and more comprehensive response to disasters.

The rescEU reserve is 100% EU-financed and the Commission maintains, in close cooperation with the country hosting the reserve, control of their operation.