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BRUSSELS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on
Friday it had reached a deal with British pharmaceutical firm
AstraZeneca for the purchase of at least 300 million
doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine.
The EU's executive arm, which is negotiating on behalf of
the 27 EU states, said the deal included an option to purchase
100 million additional doses should the vaccine prove safe and
effective.
The agreement marks the EU's first advance purchase deal for
a potential vaccine against the new coronavirus.
"Today, after weeks of negotiations, we have the first EU
Advance Purchase Agreement for a vaccine candidate," EU health
commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a statement.
It follows an initial deal with AstraZeneca reached in June
by Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA), a group formed by
France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands to secure vaccine
doses for all member states.
The Commission did not disclose the terms of the new deal
nor say whether conditions agreed earlier had been modified.
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; editing by Jan Harvey and
Jason Neely)