[ad_1]
PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union will be able to meet its vaccination targets this quarter despite AstraZeneca delivery delays as Pfizer is producing faster than expected, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Saturday .
AstraZeneca said on Friday it would try to deliver 30 million doses to the EU by the end of March, against a contractual obligation of 90 million and a previous promise made last month to deliver 40 million doses.
Breton told French radio Europe 1 that the delay was unacceptable, but that there were no plans to sue the company at this time.
“The good news is that while there are delays with AstraZeneca, we will not be late with our first trimester vaccination schedule,” Breton said.
“Pfizer is producing more, much more than expected and will provide us with more,” he added.
EU leaders have been criticized for slower vaccine rollouts than in other countries such as Britain or the US due to a longer approval and procurement process and repeated delivery delays.
AstraZeneca’s new supply reduction target hinges on drug regulator approval of a plant block in the Netherlands, an internal document showed, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Breton said AstraZeneca was having issues with the tests, which were a sign of logistical issues, and urged its board to take action.
He also criticized his French-born CEO Pascal Soriot for staying in Australia despite the problems, which he said meant he could visit company factories when Soriot couldn’t.
“I won’t say I know their factories better than they do, but I’m there,” Breton said.
Reporting by Leigh Thomas, editing by Louise Heavens
Source link
