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A30 world news
Diahuebs 28 Januari 2021

Tensions rise as AstraZeneca, EU spar over vaccine delays

that involves growing cells,
which are injected with a vi-
rus, Soriot said. The second
involves turning this “drug
substance” into the final
product, filling vials and test-
ing each batch of vaccine.

Soriot said AstraZeneca had
to reduce deliveries to the EU
because plants in Europe had
lower than expected yields
from the biological process
used to produce the vaccine.
This has also happened in
other regions as AstraZen-
eca sought to rapidly expand
production capacity to meet
demands from countries bat-
tling the pandemic.

“We’ve also had teething is-
sues like this in the U.K. sup-
ply chain,” Soriot said. “But
the U.K. contract was signed
three months before the Eu-
ropean vaccine deal, so with
the U.K. we have had an
extra three months to fix all
the glitches we experienced.
As for Europe, we are three
months behind in fixing
those glitches.”
(AP) — The European lion due to reduced yields The EU’s contract with As- well is that Brexit politics is An official from the Euro-
Union and drugmaker from its manufacturing traZeneca is confidential and playing into this,'' he said. pean Commission, the EU’s
AstraZeneca sparred plants in Europe. The EU can’t be released without the executive, said the bloc has
Wednesday over a delay in claimed Wednesday that it agreement of both sides. The “This is this is really, really agreed to give 336 million
coronavirus vaccine de- will receive even less than EU has asked AstraZeneca bad news — not only bad euros ($407 million) to As-
liveries amid a deepening that — just one quarter of for permission to release the news for the European coun- traZeneca to develop its vac-
dispute that raises con- the doses that member states contract, Kyriakides said. tries involved,'' he said. “I cine and deliver doses. The
cerns about international were supposed to get during think what’s much worse is official, who wasn’t autho-
competition for limited January-March 2021. A third round of talks aimed that these squabbles between rized to speak publicly, said
supplies of the shots need- at resolving the dispute is rich countries potentially the commission would be
ed to end the pandemic. The EU says it expects the scheduled for Wednesday deny vaccines to people in entitled to recover part of the
company to deliver the full evening in Brussels. the rest of the world.” money if the company fails
AstraZeneca Chief Execu- amount on time, and on to live up to the terms of this
tive Pascal Soriot addressed Monday threatened to put The dispute comes as the AstraZeneca is setting up advance purchase agreement.
the dispute for the first time, export controls on all vac- EU, which has 450 million more than a dozen regional
rejecting the EU’s assertion cines made in its territory. citizens and the economic supply chains worldwide to “We reject the logic of first
that the company was failing Stella Kyriakides, the Europe- clout of the world’s biggest meet regional demand for come, first served,” Kyria-
to honor its commitments. an Commissioner for health trading bloc, lags far behind its vaccine. Overall, Astra- kides said. “That may work
Soriot said vaccine delivery and food safety, rejected So- countries like Israel and Brit- Zeneca plans to deliver up to at the neighborhood butch-
figures in AstraZeneca’s con- riot’s explanation for the de- ain in delivering coronavirus 3 billion doses to countries ers, but not in contracts and
tract with the 27-nation bloc lays, saying that “not being vaccines to its people. around the world by the end not in our advance purchase
were targets, not firm com- able to ensure manufacturing of 2021. agreements. There’s no pri-
mitments, and the company capacity is against the letter The EU has signed deals for ority clause in the advanced
was unable to meet them be- and spirit of our agreement.” six different vaccines, but so However, establishing each purchase agreement.”
cause of problems in rapidly far regulators have only au- facility is a complicated pro-
expanding production capac- Kyriakides said AstraZeneca thorized the use of two, one cess that involves training The shortfall in planned de-
ity. should provide vaccines from made by Pfizer and another people and ensuring each liveries of the AstraZeneca
its UK facilities if it it is un- by Moderna. The EU’s drug batch of vaccine is safe and vaccine is coming at the same
“Our contract is not a con- able to meet commitments regulator will consider the effective. Sometimes this time as a slowdown in the
tractual commitment, it’s a from factories in the EU. The AstraZeneca vaccine on Fri- goes smoothly, but in other distribution of Pfizer-BioN-
best effort,’’ Soriot said in comments are certain to cre- day. cases there are problems, So- Tech shots as Pfizer upgrades
an interview with the Italian ate tension in the UK, which riot said. production facilities at a plant
newspaper La Repubblica. completed its exit from the Robert Yates, director of the in Belgium.
“Basically, we said we’re go- bloc less than a month ago. global health program at the “We train them on how to
ing to try our best, but we Chatham House think tank manufacture,’’ he said. “And “There are a lot of emotions
can’t guarantee we’re going “I call on AstraZeneca to en- in London, said the EU-As- then, you know, some peo- running in this process right
to succeed. In fact, getting gage fully to rebuild trust, to traZeneca dispute highlights ple are new to this process now, and I can understand it:
there, we are a little bit de- provide complete informa- the danger of “vaccine na- ... They don’t know how to people want vaccine,” Soriot
layed.” tion and to live up to its con- tionalism” as countries com- make the vaccine and they’re said. “I want the vaccine too,
tractual, societal and moral pete for limited supplies. not as efficient as others.″ I want it today. But, at the end
AstraZeneca said last week obligations,” Kyriakides said of the day, it’s a complicated
that it planned to cut initial at a media briefing in Brus- “For politicians, this is red There are two basic steps in process.”
deliveries in the EU to 31 sels. hot. And, you know, unfor- producing the vaccine. The
million doses from 80 mil- tunately, what we’re seeing as first is a biological process