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Covid-19 vaccines produced in the Community can only be exported with express authorization. The European Commission’s decision is global, but it hits AstraZeneca, which has cut the number of doses it plans to deliver to the Union to a quarter. The war is already open and involves the United Kingdom, a month after Brexit. Brussels says it wants to ensure vaccines for Europeans.
Subject to prior authorization for export it was decided by the European Commission as an “insurance policy”, said Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. The vice president, Valdis Dombrovskis, justified that he intends “to achieve full transparency immediately” and, “if necessary, will provide a tool to guarantee the delivery of vaccines. Note that the UK has chosen to administer all vaccines received from Pfizer, without sparing enough doses for the necessary booster.
AstraZeneca invoked production difficulties at the Belgium unit to justify the cut in the number of doses it will deliver to Europe in the first quarter. The cut (“unacceptable”, says Brussels) will be 25% and has already prompted an inspection by Belgian authorities at the Seneffe factory, to see if the delay is actually due to production problems. The conclusions should be known in the next few days.
In this war, Brussels guarantees that the contract makes it clear that the two UK factories belong to the supply network to Europe, so part of their production must be sent to the member states. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already stated that Europe has funded AstraZeneca, which must now fulfill the contract. “There is no plausible explanation” for the delay, he told German radio.
AstraZeneca responds that the contract signed with the United Kingdom (three months before signing with Europe) prevents it from taking vaccines from that country before delivering the 100 million doses.
After the Brussels declaration, the president of the pharmaceutical company, Pascal Soriot, admitted to having sent to Europe vaccines produced in other parts of the world.
defines “best effort”
In the 42-page (and largely censored) contract, the pharmacist agrees to make “best efforts” to deliver the doses to Europe. The expression, Brussels says, is common when it comes to a product in development. It is, however, the argument with which AstraZeneca guarantees that it has not signed a firm commitment, but only an intention.
Leyen meets with pharmaceutical companies
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will meet with all the pharmaceutical companies with which the European Commission has signed contracts for the purchase of vaccines. The news site “Politico” says that the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, by videoconference. The meeting aims to find cooperation mechanisms between the public and private sectors, with a view to responding to current and future pandemics.
sanofi and Novartis make pfizer
Given the difficulties in developing its vaccine, the French Sanofi had already said that it will assist in the production of the drug Pfizer. Yesterday, Novartis announced that it had reached an agreement with Pfizer to begin manufacturing the vaccine. The first doses are expected to leave the Stein, Switzerland factory in the third quarter. Novavax with 89.3% effectiveness
Large-scale clinical trials of the Novavax vaccine show an overall efficacy of 89.3% and 86% against the English variant. The trial being carried out in South Africa shows a 60% effectiveness against the South African strain, among volunteers who are not HIV positive.
safeguard neighboring countries
Brussels will not block the export of vaccines to the countries it has pledged to help. Among the neighboring countries that will receive the promised doses, Valdis Dombrovskis named the Western Balkans. Nor will Europe’s participation in the global Covax initiative, organized by the UN to ensure that 92 developing countries receive two billion doses before the end of the year, be affected.
yes to Astrazeneca from 18
As planned, the European Medicines Agency has authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine, for administration to all people over 18 years of age. The intention of the German health authorities, who said there is insufficient data from clinical trials on the efficacy of the vaccine in older people, failed.
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