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ACTS Post opinions with a wide range of perspectives to encourage constructive discussion.
Some are delayed, others will only meet 40 percent of what was agreed, and for others nothing is known: Vaccine manufacturers have proven to be extremely unreliable.
The European Union is lagging behind in immunizations against the coronavirus. After the initial organizational problems, it turned out that the vaccines weren’t enough. The European Commission has signed contracts for the supply of two billion vaccines from eight manufacturers. For now, however, only BioNTech and Pfizer are delivering, but in late January, they also began experiencing production difficulties. AstraZeneca intends to provide only 40 percent of the agreed amount in the first quarter of the year.
Success is about to turn into failure
Until now, the European Commission has been proud of its vaccine procurement and supply policy, which should have guaranteed access to valuable preparations from all Member States. Commission spokesman Eric Mamer reacted sharply to reports of a serious breakdown in the process: “We work very actively with companies based on the contracts they have with us. The question is what can be done to make the process successful. “.
EU officials met with AstraZeneca on Monday to remind the company of its contractual obligations. Although official approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine is not expected until Friday, expectations are high. It is cheaper than competitive products and easier to store. The EU ordered 400 million doses of the drug, but AstraZeneca said last week that “the initial quantities will be less than expected.”
Following the meeting, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidis described the new vaccine supply plan as “unacceptable”. “The EU is contributing financially to the development and production of the vaccine and wants to take advantage of it,” he said, adding: “The EU wants pre-ordered and paid doses, the contract must be fully implemented.” Companies must inform us in advance if they wish to make deliveries to third parties ”. Behind this statement is the accusation that AstraZeneca will continue to supply vaccines to the UK, but will not comply with the EU request.
The EPP health expert in the European Parliament, Peter Lise, questioned AstraZeneca’s explanations: “The justification that there are problems in the European supply chain, but not elsewhere, is not convincing, because it is not a problem to deliver the vaccine from the UK to the mainland, “he explained.
“We don’t want benefits, we want vaccines”
Pfizer is also having trouble providing the required quantities. The company explained that they need to reorganize production and delivery processes to meet demand. Production will increase from February, Pfizer promised.
Now the Italian government wants to sue Pfizer and AstraZeneca for breach of the signed contracts: “We want to receive these doses, not compensation, it is not about money,” Foreign Minister Luigi Di Mayo said. Italy expects its vaccination campaign to be delayed by up to two months, Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri told RAI. And Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said: “The violation of treaties causes” enormous damage “in Italy and elsewhere.” French European Affairs Minister Clement Bonn also called on Pfizer to “honor its commitments.”
As for the Moderna vaccine, which was developed in the United States, production for Europe must be taken over by a consortium of three Swiss companies and other pharmaceutical companies. Moderna has never produced vaccines on such a scale, that is. and potential production problems and delivery difficulties are expected.
How to counteract?
According to health expert Utah Paulus, the problem is that vaccines were developed faster than expected without companies having the necessary production capacity. The representative of the German Green Party does not believe that Brussels is to blame for the situation: “It is alleged that AstraZeneca received hundreds of millions of euros to start production before approval. If the contract is not executed, it is not the fault of the Commission. “The question is why is the UK still supplied and not the EU.
However, MEPs do not know the details of the contracts between the EC and the manufacturers; key passages are hidden, such as in terms of deadlines and penalties for non-compliance. Meanwhile, the prices were made known thanks to a Belgian minister.
Utah Paulus doesn’t think it makes sense for the lawsuits to be resolved in two or three years. Better for vaccine licenses to be declared public goods: “Licenses must be shared once vaccines have been developed with public funds.” There are examples of this type in India and South Africa in the production of AIDS drugs. A similar approach could be taken in the coronavirus pandemic, so that as many manufacturers as possible can start producing vaccines at the same time.
In this case, the authors of the vaccine should be compensated, but do such radical ideas have a chance in Brussels? Not at the moment, but it is also not excluded. In any case, the EU would thus have a strong means of pressure to force pharmaceutical companies to back down, if they can produce the necessary quantities.
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