Researchers from the Netherlands are involved in a European project which aims to prepare Europe for a COVID-19 vaccine. The ACCESS project (Vaccine Covid-19 monitoring ReadinESS) is a feasibility study to prepare for monitoring the safety and effectiveness of the novel coronavirus vaccines when they become available on the market.
The project was commissioned by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A total of 22 European organisations are involved. The Dutch contribution is significant, as UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, RIVM, the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb and research institute PHARMO are contributing to ACCESS. The project is led by UMC Utrecht and Utrecht University.
The development of a vaccine normally takes 10 to 15 years. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aim is to develop a vaccine within one year. The ACCESS project will help to prepare Europe for this undertaking.
RIVM is contributing to the feasibility analysis of an EU (European Union) structure for COVID-19 vaccine monitoring, in collaboration with Lareb.