At the meeting, which was held by video-conference, the Managing Committee was officially appointed, with María Jesús Lamas, Director of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Spanish acronym: AEMPS) as a member. This body will take the decision on each advance purchase process, monitor the development of the vaccines and guarantee transparency and good governance in the purchase and distribution process in accordance with a clear regulatory framework.
The Managing Committee selected a negotiating team on Thursday, which will be made up of representatives from seven countries: Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Italy. The Spanish representative will be César Hernández, Head of the medicines for human use department of the AEMPS. This team will act as the sole liaison with the different companies that are developing potential vaccines against SARS-CoV-19.
In this way, the Alliance and the counties comprising it seek to guarantee fair access by all European citizens, under equal conditions, to the vaccines when they are available, ensuring that the whole purchase and distribution process is carried out transparently, fairly and with all due safety and efficacy standards for the vaccine which are the same for all Member States.
These decisions are the result of the agreement from the meeting of EU ministers held last Friday, at which the Minister for Health, Salvador Illa, took part, expressing Spain's support for the Advance Purchase Agreement of Vaccines against COVID-19 of the European Union.
Non official translation
