AstraZeneca reaches an agreement with the EU regarding the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine

by

  • The settlement provides doses delivered at 300 million as agreed
  • The agreement will also end pending litigation in Brussels
  • Vaccine limit discounts will apply if doses are delayed

September 3 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and the European Commission have reached an agreement on the delivery of pending doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the drug manufacturer, ending a row over shortages which weighed on the company and the vaccination of the campaign region.

The dispute led to the crisis in the European Union earlier this year as states, under pressure to speed up vaccinations, fired on gunfire. It also caused a public relations crisis for AstraZeneca, led by Frenchman Pascal Soriot.

Since then, Brussels has reduced its dependence on the Anglo-Swedish drug manufacturer, with vaccine supplies from Pfizer / BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE), Moderna (MRNA.O) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N).

Under Friday’s deal, AstraZeneca has pledged to deliver 60 million doses of its Vaxzevria vaccine by the end of the third quarter of this year, 75 million by the end of the fourth quarter and 65 million by the end of the first quarter of 2022.

The European Commission initiated legal action against AstraZeneca in April for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine supply contract and for not having a “reliable” plan to ensure timely deliveries.

The EU executive body said that under the new agreement, member states will receive regular delivery schedules and, if there were delayed doses, limit bonuses would be applied.

VACCINATION RATES

“There are significant differences in vaccination rates between our Member States and the continued availability of vaccines, including those from AstraZeneca, remains crucial,” said Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. .

The settlement of the EU allows it to be distributed while the Delta variant of the coronavirus, highly contagious, causes a rise in cases and vaccines for the longevity of protection are studied.

“I am very pleased that we have reached a common understanding that will allow us to move forward and work in collaboration with the European Commission to help overcome the pandemic,” said Ruud Dobber, senior executive of AstraZeneca.

The European Commission said this week that 70% of the adult population in the European Union had been completely vaccinated against COVID-19, reaching the target set earlier this year. Read more

To date, nearly 92 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been distributed to EU member states, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. This is well below the 437 million doses administered by Pfizer / BioNTech.

Reports of Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru, Keith Weir in London and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Edmund Blair

Our standards: the principles of trust of Thomson Reuters.

.Source