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EU launches new strategy to develop therapeutic treatments for COVID-19

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European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety stella kyriakides

The European Commission has today (6 May) launched a strategy on COVID-19 therapeutics, including those for the treatment of ‘long COVID'. The strategy covers the full lifecycle of medicines: from research, development and manufacturing to procurement and deployment.

The Strategy’s target is to authorize three new therapeutics treatments for COVID-19 by October 2021 and possibly two further medicines by end of the year. 

Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said: “Vaccinations save lives, but they cannot yet eradicate COVID-19. We need a strong push on treatments to limit the need for hospitalisation, speed up recovery times, and reduce mortality. Patients in Europe and across the world should have access to world-class COVID-19 medicines. This is why we have set a very clear goal: by October, we will develop and authorise three new effective COVID-19 therapeutics that can have the potential to change the course of the disease. We will do so by investing in research and innovation, the identification of new promising medicines, ramping up production capacity and supporting equitable access. Our Therapeutics Strategy is a strong European Health Union in action.”

A ‘therapeutics innovation booster' will be set up by July 2021 to support the most promising therapeutics from preclinical research to market authorization. Funds will be used to help countries set up and expedite clinical trials that meet the European Medicine Agency’s high standards. It is hoped that ten potential COVID-19 therapeutics and identify five of the most promising ones by June 2021.

The EU will also organize matchmaking events for industrial actors involved in therapeutics to ensure enough production capacity and swift manufacturing. 

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