EU to Push AstraZeneca on Vaccine Delivery Agreement -- Update

 By Adria Calatayud and Adriano Marchese 
 

--The EU's executive arm said it remains open to engagement with AstraZeneca over cuts to coronavirus vaccine deliveries

--The bloc said it will still push for the satisfaction of its advance purchase agreement

The European Commission said Wednesday that it intends to defend the integrity of its investments in the coronavirus vaccines ahead of a meeting with U.K pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC.

Last week, the company told EU officials that fewer doses of its Covid-19 vaccine would be ready for the bloc's planned rollout in early February, citing an unspecified manufacturing issue.

"Let me be crystal clear: the 27 European Union Member States are united that AstraZeneca needs to deliver on its commitments in our agreement," said European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides.

The EU has been making all efforts to resolve the situation, and that it remains open to engage with the company to resolve any outstanding issues, Ms. Kyriakides said ahead of the meeting, which is set to take place on Wednesday evening.

The British pharmaceutical company, which developed its Covid-19 vaccine with the University of Oxford, earlier on Wednesday said it hasn't diverted any supply from its Europe supply chain to countries outside the EU.

The Commission, the EU's executive arm, later said responses from AstraZeneca about the coronavirus vaccine delays were unsatisfactory.

"We signed [an advance purchase agreement] precisely to ensure that the company builds the manufacturing capacity to produce the vaccine early, so that they can deliver a certain volume of doses the day that it is authorize," Ms. Kyriakides added.

Write to Adria Calatayud at [e-mail] and Adriano Marchese at [e-mail]

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 27, 2021 12:22 ET (17:22 GMT)

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