LONDON | British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is facing further reductions in deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union, citing export restrictions.
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“AstraZeneca regrets to announce a drop in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to the European Union despite its tireless work to accelerate the supply,” according to a statement posted on the group’s website.
Faced with production difficulties, the group had decided to use its production sites outside the EU to try to partially compensate and deliver the 27 Member States of the Union, but “unfortunately, export restrictions will reduce deliveries in the first quarter “and” likely “in the second, according to a spokesperson for the group.
It aims to deliver 100 million doses in the first half – 30 million in the first quarter and 70 million in the second.
AstraZeneca announced at the end of January that it could only deliver 40 million doses to the Twenty-Seven in the first quarter, out of the 120 million it had initially promised, due to manufacturing difficulties in a Belgian factory. For the second quarter, AstraZeneca was initially expected to deliver 180 million doses to the EU.
The group said “working with the European Commission and Member States to resolve supply difficulties” and said it was “confident that the productivity of its supply chain in the EU continues to improve, to help to protect millions of Europeans against the virus ”.
Confirming the continuation of discussions with the group, the European Commission stressed that it insisted that the company do “everything possible to honor its commitments”.
But European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who heads the EU vaccines taskforce, deemed the group’s efforts insufficient.
Much criticized for the slowness of deliveries in Europe and the delays of the AstraZeneca group, the European Commission, which has negotiated the contracts on behalf of its 27 Member States, expects a rise in deliveries in the second quarter.
They could reach the average rate of 100 million doses per month from April to June all vaccines combined, or 300 million for the entire quarter. The European Commission is targeting 70% of Europeans vaccinated by the end of the summer.
Consequences of reductions in the supply of the vaccine AstraZeneca, in Germany, the Land of Thuringia (center) must interrupt the appointments to be vaccinated and temporarily suspend a pilot project of vaccination with this product by general practitioners.
Elderly people living at home were to be vaccinated in particular as part of this device, which was to start before the end of March.
Thuringia was to receive 31,200 doses next week, but the number is significantly reduced with only 9,600 doses expected. The Land Minister of Health, Heike Werner (radical left), judged this reduction in deliveries “absolutely unacceptable”.
Thuringia (ex-GDR) is the Land with the highest seven-day incidence rate in Germany, reaching 152.1 on Saturday.
In addition to the supply difficulties, there were severe cases of blood clots, which led to the suspension of injections of the vaccine in several countries.
AstraZeneca has ensured that its vaccine does not entail any “aggravated risk” of a blood clot.
Denmark, Iceland and Norway announced Thursday the suspension of AstraZeneca vaccine injections, invoking the principle of “precaution”. Bulgaria followed suit on Friday and Thailand delayed its campaign.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that there was “no reason not to use” this vaccine and that no cause and effect on the formation of blood clots. ‘had so far been found.