EU warns to bar exports over AstraZeneca delivery delays

Brussels warned on Monday to hinder the exports of COVID-19 vaccines outside of the bloc over AstraZeneca’s decision that deliveries will be reduced for a few weeks.

The pharmaceutical giant told that the European Commission on Friday there would be control delays in the first quarter of this year — a week after Pfizer made a similar statement.

The EU Steering Board — created up of many health officials from the Commission and member states — held a practical meeting with AstraZeneca on Monday evening to discuss the issue but “the answers of the company have not been enough so far,” Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a statement.

A second meeting was held on the evening of Monday evening.

“The European Union will take any action needed to protect its citizens,” Kyriakides said in the statement.

She said the company’s declaration that it intends to supply “considerably fewer doses” than agreed “is not acceptable”, stressing that the bloc had “pre-financed the development of the vaccine and the production and wants to see the return.”

“We want clarity on sales and full clarity concerning the export of vaccines from the EU.

“In the future, all companies creating vaccines against COVID-19 in the EU will have to give early information whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries,” she added. Compassionate deliveries would not be affected.

AstraZeneca has a plant in the Netherlands, Pfizer has one in Belgium.