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Drugmakers to make big low-cost vaccine push to poor nations - EU official

by Reuters
Thursday, 20 May 2021 16:20 GMT

A pack of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines is seen as the country receives its first batch of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines under COVAX scheme, at the international airtport of Accra, Ghana February 24, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko

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Among the drugmakers that will announce more doses for poorer nations is Pfizer-BioNTech, alongside at least two other companies

BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) - Drugmakers are to announce on Friday they will provide large new supplies of at-cost COVID-19 vaccines to poor nations this year to try to redress the global imbalance, a European Union official familiar with the matter said.

Coinciding with a global health summit hosted by Italy and the EU, the bloc will also announce it is setting up three manufacturing hubs in Africa from this year to boost long-term production of vaccines, the official told Reuters.

Among the drugmakers that will announce more doses for poorer nations is Pfizer-BioNTech, the official said, adding that at least other two companies are expected to make announcements on Friday.

Vaccines are to be sold at cost to poorer countries, and at low-cost to middle-income nations, the official said.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Howard Goller)

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