The
European Union's heath commissioner has said AstraZeneca's delay in delivering
COVID-19 vaccines is "not acceptable." The EU paid €336 million for
guaranteed orders and is angry the company is delivering elsewhere.
EU
officials have claimed the contractual right to access company accounts to
verify production and delivery numbers. European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen is reported to have spoken with AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot
before Monday's meeting to remind him of his company's commitments. A
spokesperson for the company said Soriot assured von der Leyen that AstraZeneca
was doing all it could to deliver the vaccine.
Last
August, the EU made an upfront payment of €336 million ($409 million) to the Anglo-Swedish
pharmaceutical company — the bloc's first COVID-19 vaccine deal — in order to
expand production and secure 300 million doses of the drug developed by
AstraZeneca and Oxford University. EU officials speaking with Reuters news
agency last week said the bloc could expect a 61% cut to its order, meaning it
may only receive as few as 31 million doses. AstraZeneca has said "initial
volumes will be lower than originally anticipated due to reduced yields at a
manufacturing site within our EU supply chain."
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