EU Wants To Have All AstraZeneca Vaccines Ordered Before Deciding On New Contract

The European Union wants to receive all doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine it had previously secured before deciding whether or not to cooperate with the drugmaker in the future, European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2021) The European Union wants to receive all doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine it had previously secured before deciding whether or not to cooperate with the drugmaker in the future, European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said on Monday.

On Sunday, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said the bloc had not yet renewed the order for AstraZeneca shots beyond June.

According to the spokesman, the vaccine, made by the UK-Swedish company in cooperation with the University of Oxford, is vital for the EU vaccination campaign. However, due to the company's failure to deliver the right number of vaccine shots set out in a relevant agreement with the bloc, the Commission last month filed a related lawsuit to Belgian courts.

"This dispute is currently pending in Belgian courts, which means that we are not at this stage in a position to be able to comment on any of the next contractual steps with regard to this particular company. What is important now is for us to obtain the promised doses to which the EU citizens have a right or are entitled to," De Keersmaecker said.

He outlined that before signing any EU-backed contracts, the member states would hold consultations on the matter, and recalled that the bloc already rejected purchase of an additional package of 100 million AstraZeneca shots.

Under the contract, in the first quarter of the year, AstraZeneca delivered 30 million doses of the vaccine instead of the scheduled 100 million to the European Union. The company plans to ship another 70 million doses in the second quarter, totaling 100 million doses by July, in contrast with the contract's 300 million doses.

A Brussels court will begin hearings in the commission's legal action against the pharmaceutical firm on May 26.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has lately been under scrutiny in light of reports about some recipients developing blood clots after vaccination, an allegation admitted by the European Medicines Agency in April. In particular, the regulator confirmed that there was a link between the vaccine and "very rare" blood clots in the brain, but has nonetheless recommended using the drug because its benefits outweigh the risks.

The agency also said this past Friday that the vaccine was being probed over a possible link to the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder caused by the immune system attacking nerves.