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“European citizens have the feeling that they have been misled by some pharmaceutical companies, I am thinking mainly of AstraZeneca“. During the European Council, Mario draghi, in videoconference, he spoke again about the thorny knot of the vaccine. The same knot that is essentially tearing Europe apart, running out of doses and slow in the vaccination campaign.
Draghi’s lunge
The Italian prime minister has pointed the finger at the attitude shown by big pharmaceuticals. The companies, amid announcements of cuts in vaccine deliveries and unexpected delays, have so far failed to meet the agreements established with Brussels. The member countries of the European Union were the losers, forced to review their vaccination plans.
Draghi specifically referred to AstraZeneca regarding the Anagni matter. We recall, in fact, that 29 million doses produced by the Anglo-Swedish company were found at the Catalent plant located in Lazio. Why, while Europe is desperate for vaccinesHas the pharmaceutical company in question put this huge amount into an Italian facility?
AstraZeneca responded that 13 million doses would be waiting for the result of the quality controls to be sent to the program Covax, WHO’s plan to deliver the Covid vaccine to low-income countries. The remaining 16 million doses, however, would wait for quality control to be graded in Europe, between March and April. However, the story remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Step up production and stop exports
Draghi, according to sources in Brussels, would therefore have asked Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, information on localized doses in the Netherlands and Belgium. Von der Leyen responded, reassuring the Italian Prime Minister that vaccines produced within the European Union will be destined for the EU.
Regarding the quantity of vaccines, EU leaders stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to to produce more doses. “Accelerating the production, delivery and dissemination of vaccines remains essential to overcome the crisis“, we read in the draft conclusions of the EU summit, of which theAnsa has read.
Efforts to this end “need to intensify even more“As if that weren’t enough, the importance was underlined.”transparency“and”the extension of the export authorization regime“.”We reaffirm that companies must guarantee the predictability of their vaccine production and comply with contractual terms delivery“concluded the leaders of the EU. In any case, Draghi supported the need not to remain defenseless against unfulfilled commitments by some pharmaceutical companies and gave his opinion”Full support“to von der Leyen’s proposal to strengthen the European Mechanism on exports of vaccines.
