EU signs contract with British drug company

The European Union has signed a contract with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to provide a possible COVID-19 vaccine to its member states. The EU Commission says the contract provides for the 27 EU nations to buy 300 million doses with an option for 100 million more.

The European Union has signed a contract with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to provide a possible COVID-19 vaccine to its member states. The EU Commission says the contract provides for the 27 EU nations to buy 300 million doses with an option for 100 million more. The contract also allows vaccines to be donated to poorer countries or redirected to other European nations.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says it was "an important step forward" in making sure any vaccine would be available to as many EU citizens as possible. Vaccines typically take years to develop and more than a dozen are in the early stages of testing globally.