EU insists dispute with AstraZeneca is only contractual

THE European Commission has insisted it still trusts the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and that its dispute with the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical firm is only contractual.

The EU’s executive branch has launched legal proceedings in Belgium against the firm for what it believes amounts to a breach of contract after AstraZeneca failed to deliver doses of its coronavirus vaccine in a timely manner.

Millions of doses of AstraZeneca have been safely administered in Europe, but concerns linger over a rare type of blood clot seen in an extremely small number of recipients. The dispute between the EU and the company has further dented the public’s confidence in the efficiency of the vaccine, but the European Commission insisted yesterday the AstraZeneca serum remains part of its strategy to have 70% of all EU adults immunised this summer.

“First of all, the AstraZeneca vaccine is a very important vaccine for our vaccine portfolio,” said a EU health policy spokesman.