(Adds quotes, background on vaccine talks)
BRUSSELS, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The head of the European
Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Friday the European
Union was in talks with more companies to secure potential
COVID-19 vaccines, as she warned of the "worrying" spike in
infections in Europe.
"The commission has already concluded two advance purchase
agreements and it is negotiating five more. And we are in
discussions with four more companies," she told a news
conference after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
To date the Commission has announced supply deals for the
potential vaccines being developed by AstraZeneca and by
a partnership between Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline
.
It has also said publicly that it was in advanced talks to
secure shots being developed by Moderna, Johnson &
Johnson, CureVac and a partnership between
Pfizer and BioNTech.
The EU is in talks with Novavax for a seventh
vaccine, a senior EU source told Reuters last week.
A Commission spokesman was not immediately available to
clarify von der Leyen's remark about talks with other four
companies.
Von der Leyen said progress on vaccines was key for a
long-term solution to the current crisis.
She added that EU governments should continue working
together to tackle the emergency as infections were again on the
raise in the continent.
"The epidemiological situation is worrying. So we must stay
very focused to avoid a return to the dire situation we
experienced last spring," she said.
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio
Editing by Alison Williams and Frances Kerry)
Glaxosmithkline (GSK)
Astrazeneca (AZN)