PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union will be able to meet its vaccination targets this quarter despite delays in the delivery of AstraZeneca, as Pfizer produces faster than expected, European Commissioner for Industry Thierry Breton said on Saturday.
AstraZeneca said on Friday that it would try to deliver 30 million doses to the EU by the end of March, for a 90 million contractual obligation and a previous promise made last month to deliver 40 million doses.
Breton told France’s Radio 1 in France that the delay was unacceptable, but that at the moment there were no plans to sue the company.
“The good news is that while there are delays with AstraZeneca, we won’t be late with our vaccination program in the first quarter,” Breton said.
“Pfizer is producing much, much more than expected and will deliver us more,” he added.
EU leaders have been criticized for slower vaccine deployment than in other countries, such as Britain or the United States, due to a longer approval and purchase process and delays in repeated delivery.
AstraZeneca’s new lower supply target depends on the block’s drug regulator approving supplies from a factory in the Netherlands, an internal document showed, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Breton said AstraZeneca had problems with the tests, which were a sign of logistical problems, and urged his board to take action.
He also criticized his French-born CEO Pascal Soriot for staying in Australia despite the problems, saying he could visit the companies ’plants when Soriot could not.
“I won’t say I know their factories better than they do, but I’m in place,” Breton said.
Report by Leigh Thomas, edited by Louise Heavens