Latest actions see Europe at heart of global response to COVID-19
A call for proposals planned for Tuesday by the Innovative Medicines Initiative to develop therapeutics and diagnostics to address the COVID-19 epidemic is the latest example of how Europe has played a critical role in the global response to the coronavirus outbreak. From funding from CEPI and the Wellcome Trust to biopharma research programs with their roots in labs on the Continent, Europe has been at the heart of developing countermeasures against the virus.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has taken a leading role in developing a prophylactic vaccine against COVID-19. The public-private partnership has provided grants to a host of vaccine developers, including CureVac AG, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:INO), Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) and the University of Queensland. The Oslo-based group also has a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK) to provide an adjuvant to enhance CEPI-funded programs (see “GSK to Provide Adjuvant to Boost Effectiveness, Stretch Supplies of 2019-nCoV Vaccines”)...