EU to Push AstraZeneca on Vaccine Delivery Agreement -- Update
January 27 2021 - 12:37PM
Dow Jones News
By Adria Calatayud and Adriano Marchese
--The EU's executive arm said it remains open to engagement with
AstraZeneca over cuts to coronavirus vaccine deliveries
--The bloc said it will still push for the satisfaction of its
advance purchase agreement
The European Commission said Wednesday that it intends to defend
the integrity of its investments in the coronavirus vaccines ahead
of a meeting with U.K pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC.
Last week, the company told EU officials that fewer doses of its
Covid-19 vaccine would be ready for the bloc's planned rollout in
early February, citing an unspecified manufacturing issue.
"Let me be crystal clear: the 27 European Union Member States
are united that AstraZeneca needs to deliver on its commitments in
our agreement," said European Commissioner for Health and Food
Safety Stella Kyriakides.
The EU has been making all efforts to resolve the situation, and
that it remains open to engage with the company to resolve any
outstanding issues, Ms. Kyriakides said ahead of the meeting, which
is set to take place on Wednesday evening.
The British pharmaceutical company, which developed its Covid-19
vaccine with the University of Oxford, earlier on Wednesday said it
hasn't diverted any supply from its Europe supply chain to
countries outside the EU.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, later said responses
from AstraZeneca about the coronavirus vaccine delays were
unsatisfactory.
"We signed [an advance purchase agreement] precisely to ensure
that the company builds the manufacturing capacity to produce the
vaccine early, so that they can deliver a certain volume of doses
the day that it is authorize," Ms. Kyriakides added.
Write to Adria Calatayud at adria.calatayud@dowjones.com and
Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 27, 2021 12:22 ET (17:22 GMT)
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