EU Deems AstraZeneca's Vaccine Delivery Cuts 'Unacceptable,' Announces Export Transparency Mechanism
AstraZeneca
Biopharmaceutical Manufacturer
European Union
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EU Says AstraZeneca’s Reduced Vaccine Deliveries “Unacceptable,” to Establish Transparent Vaccine Export Mechanism
BRUSSELS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kyriakides, the European Commissioner in charge of health and food safety, said in a statement on the 25th that British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's plan to reduce vaccine deliveries was "unacceptable," and the European Commission would establish a transparent mechanism for vaccine exports.
Kyriakides stated that the European Medicines Agency’s assessment of the efficacy and safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine is nearing completion, with conditional marketing authorization in the EU potentially granted as early as this weekend. However, issues have arisen regarding vaccine supply. Kyriakides said, “Last Friday, AstraZeneca unexpectedly informed the European Commission and EU member states of its intention to reduce vaccine deliveries in the coming weeks to levels significantly below previously agreed and announced doses, which is unacceptable to the EU.” On the 24th, she wrote to AstraZeneca to express the EU’s concerns and raise inquiries, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the agreed delivery schedule.
According to Eric Mamer, Chief Spokesperson of the European Commission, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called Pascal Soriot, Global CEO of AstraZeneca, on the 25th. Mamer stated that von der Leyen reminded Soriot that the EU had provided substantial upfront funding for the company’s vaccine development and production precisely to ensure an accelerated scale-up of manufacturing.
Recently, both AstraZeneca and Pfizer Inc. of the United States stated that they would reduce vaccine supplies in the short term due to the need to expand production capacity. In response, many EU countries have expressed dissatisfaction. On the 24th, European Council President Charles Michel said in an interview with the media that the EU would urge pharmaceutical companies to comply with previously signed contracts and stated that all necessary measures should be taken to ensure timely vaccine supply.
On the 25th, Kyriakides stated that the EU has provided a total of €2.7 billion in funding for the research, development, and production of several COVID-19 vaccines. The European Commission has recommended establishing an export transparency mechanism, requiring complete transparency in vaccine transactions and exports. She said that henceforth, all companies producing COVID-19 vaccines within the EU must notify the EU in advance before exporting to countries or regions outside the EU, although humanitarian deliveries will remain unaffected.
Currently, the European Union has conditionally approved two COVID-19 vaccines for market authorization: one is the vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and the German biotechnology company BioNTech, and the other is the vaccine developed by the U.S. company Moderna.