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The White House and federal health officials are debating sending millions of doses of AstraZeneca overseas as the U.S. government awaits safety clearance for the vaccine.
Senior civil servants told the New York Times there has been intense debate among U.S. officials over the fate of the tens of millions of doses of the Anglo-Swedish company that lie in manufacturing plants in Ohio and Maryland amid calls for sourcing from other countries that have already approved it for use.
Some officials say the supply should go overseas, while others are not prepared to forgo it, sources told The Times.
AstraZeneca was also involved in the talks, and the company said at the time that it urged the United States to be attentive to requests from other countries.
“We understand that other governments may have contacted the United States government regarding the donation of doses of AstraZeneca, and we have asked the United States government to carefully consider these requests,” Gonzalo Viña, a spokesperson, told The Times. from AstraZeneca.
The company asked the Biden administration to send the doses to the European Union (EU), but an official told The Times the administration has since refused to do so.
The Times reported that some federal officials have been pushing the administration to make the decision in the coming weeks. Some have suggested sending the doses to Brazil, where the coronavirus continues to ravage the population.
AstraZeneca vaccines have not been approved in the United States and the company has not yet applied for emergency use authorization from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Times report comes after Italy, with support from the European Commission, blocked the shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia after the company allegedly failed to deliver the requested amount of doses to the EU.
Results from the phase three trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the United States are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, but it is not known how soon after the results the vaccine will be approved for use.
The Hill has reached out to AstraZeneca and the White House for their comment.
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