Pharmacist Minhal Master (R) administers a dose of the AstraZeneca / Oxford Covid-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination center, made up of pharmacists and pharmaceutical assistants, at the Al-Abbas Islamic Center in Birmingham, West Midlands, on 4 February. 2021.
Scarff Oils | AFP | Getty Images
The European Union will urge the United States to allow the export of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine as supply deficiencies can be addressed, the Financial Times reports.
The 27-country EU also wants Washington to ensure the free flow of shipments of crucial ingredients needed for European production, the FT report reported on Saturday.
“We are confident that we can work together with the US to ensure that vaccines produced or bottled in the United States to meet the contractual obligations of vaccine producers with the EU will be fully respected,” the European Commission said, according to the European Commission.
EU countries began inoculations in late December, but they are advancing at a much slower pace than other rich nations, including former members of Britain and the United States.
Officials blame the slow progress in part on supply problems with manufacturers.
The European Commission and Italy this week blocked a shipment of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Australia after the drug manufacturer failed to meet its EU contractual commitments.
The Anglo-Swedish drug maker has been attacked in the EU for its delay in firing supplies to the 27-country bloc, which ordered 300 million doses in late June.
“We are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to improve delivery and hopefully meet expectations for the second quarter,” Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said in a public hearing in February .
The EU also plans to extend its export authorization scheme for Covid-19 vaccines until the end of June, two EU sources told Reuters on Thursday.
Under the scheme, companies must obtain authorization before exporting shots of Covid-19 and may refuse export applications if they do not meet their EU supply commitments.
The European Commission and AstraZeneca were not immediately available for comment.