BRUSSELS (Reuters) – AstraZeneca’s new goal to deliver 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union before the end of March bends on the block drug regulator allowing supply from a Dutch factory, a document showed inside.
The Anglo-Swedish drug dealer said on Friday it would try to deliver 30 million doses to the EU by the end of March, down from a contractual obligation of 90 million and a promise made last month to 40 million doses. delivery.
The new minimum target, confirmed by an earlier report from Reuters, is not promised as it is responsible for running a vaccine factory in Leiden with subcontractor Halix obtaining the regulatory license, the document showed submitted by the date 10 March.
AstraZeneca said in a document seen by Reuters that it assumes that the Halix factory will receive the green light on March 25 and has reached nearly 10 million doses for next week.
A spokesman for the European Commission said on Saturday that the EU agency was in talks with the company to make sure they would do what they could to fulfill their commitments. He did not comment on Halix’s agreement.
When asked about possible sanctions, he said: “What is important is that we ensure that a sufficient number of doses are delivered in line with the company’s previous commitments. We’re looking at all the options to make this happen. ”
EU leaders have come under fire for distributing vaccines at a much slower pace than nearby Britain as a result of a longer licensing and purchasing process, as well as persistent delays in supplies from AstraZeneca and other drug dealers.
RECORD CUTS
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement that the Halix factory had not yet been approved and declined to comment on when any license could be granted.
An EU official close to the EMA’s decisions told Reuters that a “possible” decision could come at the end of March.
It was unclear whether any delay in plant approval would also affect AstraZeneca ‘s vaccine supply to the EU in the second quarter.
A spokesman for AstraZeneca declined to comment on the licensing status of the factory, or on its production capacity and stock collection. Halix declined to comment on his regulatory license.
The Halix plant in Leiden is one of four named manufacturers of vaccines for the EU in an AstraZeneca supply contract with Brussels signed in August.
However, only one in Belgium has been used to deliver the block so far, EU officials have said, noting that two plants in Britain have not sent vaccines to the EU .
In its statement on Friday, AstraZeneca also said it “aims” to deliver 70 million doses to the EU between April and June, despite contractual obligations for 180 million views.
They said export restrictions had prevented the EU from importing goods from its global network to make up for production problems in the EU supply chain.
Shortly after Reuters reported in February that the company had told the EU it could deliver less than 90 million doses in the second quarter, AstraZeneca said it remained committed to meeting the 180 million supply target.
In total, the drug company now aims to send just 100 million vaccines to the EU by the end of June, instead of the 300 million seen in the contract.
Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio in Brussels; Additional statement by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; Edited by David Clarke and Mike Harrison