EU prepares legal action against AstraZeneca: reports

The European Union is weighing legal action against AstraZeneca for missing vaccine delivery promises. Germany and France have reportedly asked for more time to consider the move.

Vaccine maker AstraZeneca could face legal trouble for supplying too few vaccine doses to the EU, multiple outlets reported on Thursday.

The EU wants to force the pharmaceutical giant to deliver the jabs it had promised, Reuters, DPA and Politico reported, citing diplomats and European Union officials.

“EU states have to decide if they participate. It is about fulfillment of deliveries by the end of the second quarter,” Reuters quoted an unnamed EU official as saying.

It is contracted to deliver 180 million doses in the second quarter.

Germany and France have reportedly requested additional time to consider the court action, though most EU states reportedly support the move.

“What matters is that we ensure the delivery of a sufficient number of doses in line with the company’s earlier commitments,” European Commission spokesperson Stefan De Keeresmaecker said on Thursday. “Together with the member states, we are looking at all options to make this happen,” De Keeresmaecker said, without commenting on the reports of legal action.

What is the EU-AstraZeneca row about?

AstraZeneca slashed its deliveries to the bloc by two-thirds as it faced manufacturing issues and delivery obligations to other buyers.

The EU has repeatedly clashed with the British-Swedish firm in recent months, and has been trying to compensate the shortfall by ordering more from other manufacturers. Recently, the bloc decided not to exercise its options for another 300 million doses from AstraZeneca, amid evidence of very rare blood clot side effects.

Brussels is increasingly aligning itself with the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, which has exceeded delivery targets and enjoys the confidence of vaccine recipients.

EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said last week that BioNTech-Pfizer “has proven to be a reliable partner. It has delivered on its commitments, and it is responsive to our needs. This is to the immediate benefit of EU citizens.”

Source: dw.com