Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, puts pressure on AstraZeneca – Emil Helms / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP
European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton explained on Sunday that the European Covid-19 vaccine contract with the pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca could not be renewed due to delivery delays accumulated since the start of the year.
“We are pragmatic. My priority as a vaccine manager is that those with whom we contract deliver exactly on time, or even more, ”he said during an interview on the channel. BMFTV.
120 million doses ordered, 30 delivered
“We had ordered 120 million doses for the first quarter and 180 million for the second quarter. It turns out that in the first quarter, they (AstraZeneca, Editor’s note) only delivered 30 million, which created problems that everyone saw ”and“ they only deliver 70 million in the second quarter “, He explained, hinting that the contract, which” ends on June 30 “, may not be renewed.
“Nothing is final, we will continue to discuss”, however qualified Thierry Breton. “It’s not for an epidemiological or medical reason. When you look at the data, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine overwhelmingly outweigh the disease, ”he added.
Denmark abandons AstraZeneca
French Industry Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher argued on Friday that the European Union was likely not to renew its contracts with the Swedish-British group in 2022, after Denmark on Wednesday became the first European country to announce the discontinuation of this vaccine.
Denmark had justified its choice by the “rare” but “serious” side effects of this vaccine despite the green lights from the European regulator and the WHO to use it. “We have not started discussions with Johnson & Johnson and with AstraZeneca for a new contract, where we have already started discussions with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna”, underlined the minister on the airwaves of RMC .
Acceleration in sight
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also argued this week that Pfizer-BioNTech had “proved to be a reliable partner, which had honored its commitments and was reactive to our needs”, contrary to delivery problems AstraZeneca, developed with the University of Oxford.
Vaccination is an “important way to reopen the European continent gradually and to be able to go on vacation” within the borders of the European Union, said Thierry Breton on Sunday. For this, the European Commissioner is counting on the acceleration of vaccination in the second quarter and the implementation of a European health pass in June.