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AstraZeneca will reduce deliveries of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union by 60% in the first quarter of the year, according to the Reuters news agency.
The company was expected to deliver around 80 million doses to the 27 EU countries by the end of March, an EU official told the agency.
However, he now expects it to be reduced to 31 million doses due to “production problems” at a vaccine factory in Belgium run by his partner Novasep.
Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said on Twitter: “@EU_Commission and Member States expressed deep dissatisfaction with this.
“We insist on a precise delivery schedule on the basis of which Member States should plan their vaccination programs, subject to the granting of a conditional marketing authorization.
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“The @EU_Commission will continue to insist with @AstraZeneca on measures to increase the predictability and stability of deliveries, and the acceleration of dose distribution.”
A statement from AstraZeneca said: “While there is no scheduled delay to the start of shipments of our vaccine should we receive approval in Europe, initial volumes will be lower than originally anticipated due to reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain.
“We will supply tens of millions of doses in February and March to the European Union, while we continue to increase production volumes.”
The EU drug regulator is due to decide on the approval of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on January 29, with an agreement to buy at least 300 million doses, with an option for an additional 100 million already signed.
Europe’s immunization campaign has already been hampered by a temporary shortfall in the supply chain from vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech, who are remodeling a site in Belgium to boost production.
Previously, the Financial Times reported that supplies to the UK would not be affected.
