BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union is pushing AstraZeneca to supply the block with more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine from plants in Europe and Britain after the company announced delivery delays, which added frustration to the program. EU inoculation.
The EU is conducting more thorough checks on vaccines before approval, which means a slower deployment of shots compared to some other regions, especially the former British EU member.
The problem has been exacerbated by AstraZeneca and Pfizer, Anglo-Swedish, of the two United States, who announced delivery delays in recent weeks. AstraZeneca’s delay was caused by production problems at a plant in Belgium.
“UK factories are part of our advanced purchasing agreement and that’s why they have to deliver,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told a news conference, noting that two of the four factories of which AstraZeneca is committed to providing vaccines in the EU are in Britain.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would have been a “great pity” that the UK had stayed on the European Union’s vaccine program instead of establishing its own plan.
“I think we’ve been able to do things differently and better, somehow,” he told parliament.
AstraZeneca, which partnered with the British University of Oxford to develop its vaccine, said last week it would cut supplies to the EU during the first quarter, with an EU official saying the EU would receive 31 million doses in the period, or 60% less than initially agreed, due to production problems in a Belgian factory.
The EU has been pushing the company for a week to review these cuts, but it is unclear how it can force AstraZeneca to hand over the agreed amounts.
Pascal Soriot, the French chief executive of AstraZeneca, told newspapers on Tuesday that the EU contract was based on a better-effort clause and did not commit the company to a specific timetable for deliveries.
Soriot said vaccines destined for the EU were produced at four plants in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
But EU Commission officials said on Wednesday that under the contract, the company had also pledged to provide vaccines from two factories in Britain.
They added that the company had not provided enough explanations as to why doses could not be sent from the stocks of factories that were not experiencing any production problems, such as those in Britain.
Reuters reported exclusively on Tuesday that AstraZeneca had not responded to EU calls to redirect doses from Britain.
As an example of how problems fail, delays in deliveries force health authorities in the richer regions of Madrid and Catalonia to restrict inoculations, even as a third wave of contagion sinks, the officials.
In addition to the confusion, a Welsh factory producing AstraZeneca vaccine was partially evacuated on Wednesday after receiving a suspicious package and police said a bomb disposal unit was handling the incident. .
MEETING OR NO MEETING?
The EU has also threatened to control future exports of COVID-19 vaccines in retaliation by companies announcing delays, although the EU trade commissioner ruled out any export bans.
Failed relations were confused about the timing of a meeting between the EU and AstraZeneca.
EU officials said the company had withdrawn from a virtual meeting scheduled for Wednesday, and an Austrian minister said it was scheduled for Thursday, and that it was followed by a statement from AstraZeneca that he said it would go ahead on Wednesday as planned.
The EU contract with AstraZeneca is an advance purchase agreement for the supply of at least 300 million doses, provided the vaccine is approved as safe and effective, with doses delivered in stages. An approval decision is scheduled for Friday.
In another sign of friction, EU officials also said details revealed by Soriot about production capacity and the best-effort clause were confidential and hinted at possible breach of contract.
Officials added that the best effort clause was standard in contracts with developing product manufacturers.
“The best effort is a completely standard clause when you sign a contract with a company for a product that doesn’t yet exist,” an official said. “Viouslybviamente cannot place a totally legal obligation” under these conditions.
But the official said the best effort meant the company had to show a “general” effort to develop and administer vaccines.
AstraZeneca said on Wednesday: “Each supply chain was developed with contributions and investments from specific countries or international organizations on the basis of supply agreements, including our agreement with the European Commission.”
“Because each supply chain has been created to meet the needs of a specific agreement, the vaccine produced from any supply chain is dedicated to the relevant countries or regions and makes use of local manufacturing whenever possible.” , added the firm.
Philanthropist Bill Gates told Reuters that vaccine launching was a “very hard allocation problem” that put pressure on global institutions, governments and drug manufacturers.
“If you are a pharmaceutical company that did not make a vaccine, you will not be under pressure. But those who made the vaccine: they are the ones attacked, “he said.” Everything is a zero sum. “
Report by Francesco Guarascio and Ludwig Burger; Additional reports by Francois Murphy and Kate Kelland; Edited by Nick Macfie and Edmund Blair