Press Release: Influenza: Commissioner Kyprianou regrets failure to agree on EU anti-viral stockpile

Markos Kyprianou, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, expressed his regret that EU Health Ministers on 6 June 2006 failed to agree to proceed with the creation of a European strategic stockpile of anti-virals against influenza. The possibility of a stockpile had been discussed as part of the overall EU pandemic preparedness measures. It would have served as a pool of anti-virals which could have been re-distributed according to need should pandemic influenza occur in Europe.

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