AstraZeneca hits back as sulky EU takes it to court
ASTRAZENECA vowed to defend itself last night as Brussels announced plans to sue the firm in a bust-up over the supply of coronavirus vaccines.
In a desperate attempt to get the EU’s rollout back on track, Eurocrats are taking the firm to court.
Brussels is convinced the threat of legal action will pressure the AngloSwedish drugs firm into upping its supply to the Continent in the coming months.
A Commission spokesman yesterday said: “Some terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses.”
EU27 envoys reluctancy agreed to back the court threat, arguing that it would unlikely boost the bloc’s supply of jabs and risks fuelling vaccine scepticism.
One EU insider told the Daily Express: “It’s clear AstraZeneca’s vaccine production in Europe has been a disaster, but what a court case will bring is still to be seen.”
A second source added: “Ultimately, a court case is not going to speed up getting jabs into arms.”
Around half a dozen countries, including France and Germany, expressed concerns that the legal action would further disrupt the EU’s farcical vaccines rollout. The first hearing is due to take place at a Belgian court tomorrow.
AstraZeneca insists it will ship 50 million doses to EU states by the end of the month, which is “in line with our forecast”.
And in a dig at the EU, the firm pointed out its staff have been “working around the clock” to get supplies out “at no profit”.
Responding to the EU’s threats, AstraZeneca added: “Vaccines are difficult to manufacture, as evidenced by the supply challenges several companies are facing in Europe and around the world. “We are making progress addressing the technical challenges and our output is improving, but the production cycle of a vaccine is very long.
“This means these improvements take time to result in increased finished vaccine doses.” Downing Street aides heaped praise on the firm.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “AstraZeneca has been a hugely strong partner to the UK and in fact, for their work globally they have been a vital part of our vaccine rollout programme. We continue to look forward to working with them.”