DONALD TRUMP allegedly offered a German medical company “large sums of money” for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine, according to a report from Die Welt.
The German broadsheet claims the Trump Administration offered Tübingen-based biopharmaceutical firm CureVac a significant sum of money in exchange for exclusive access to their work.
An unnamed source within “German government circles” told Die Welt the US President is taking extreme measures to secure a coronavirus vaccine.
The firm is currently collaborating with the government owned Paul Ehrlich Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Medicines on a vaccine.
Die Welt’s report alleges that Trump is eager to move CureVac’s operations to the US to find a cure for the virus "but only for the USA."
The Trump Administration is said to be exploring the possibility of a takeover of CureVac while the German government has reportedly tabled its own financial package to try and encourage the firm to keep their work within the country.
However, German health minister Jens Spahn told Die Welt that a Trump takeover of the CureVac was “off the table” adding that the firm would look to develop a vaccine “for the whole world”, and “not for individual countries”.
CureVac previously rebuffed "rumours of an acquisition" but the German health ministry told Reuters Die Welt’s report was accurate.
CureVac outgoing CEO, Daniel Menichella, also previously confirmed he had been invited to the White House for a meeting with Trump to discuss strategies and opportunities for the production of a coronavirus vaccine.
"We are very confident that we will be able to develop a potent vaccine candidate within a few months," Mr Menichella said in a statement.
