Conflict between the European Union (EU) and British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is intensifying over the delay in supply of vaccines for the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). Following a raid on AstraZeneca’s vaccine manufacturing facility, the EU will announce measures to restrict vaccine exports.
At the request of the Executive Committee, which is an EU administration, the Belgian health authorities unannounced AstraZeneca’s vaccine production facility in Belgium on the 28th (local time). Investigators reportedly confirmed whether there was actually any delay in the vaccine process during the inspection process.
The EU will also unveil restrictions on exports of vaccines to non-EU countries on the 29th. Once the measure is in effect, the EU customs authorities should notify the EU Commission whenever vaccines are exported outside the territory.
On the same day, the executive chairman of the EU summit, Charles Michel, sent a letter to the heads of major EU countries, saying, “In relation to the recent COVID-19 vaccine supply shortage, if pharmaceutical companies do not deliver the vaccine as promised, we will take all legal measures and measures we have under Article 122 of the EU Treaty. I think it should be used.” The situation was triggered by AstraZeneca’s notification that it would reduce the amount of vaccines it supplies to Europe by April due to production disruptions to a quarter of the original contract size. The EU suspects that AstraZeneca is secretly delivering the vaccine to the UK. AstraZeneca is in a position that it is unfair that it is consulting with the EU on the issue of capacity expansion.
Corona 19 vaccination shortages are also spreading throughout France. According to Reuters, the first vaccination will be stopped from the 2nd of next month in the Ile-de-France area of the metropolitan area, including Paris, due to a shortage of the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer vaccine. Those who have already given the primary vaccination can receive the secondary vaccination, but it is unclear when the new primary vaccination will resume. To date, 1.18 million people have been vaccinated in France. However, the spread of Corona 19 in France is not easily subsided, with more than 2,000 mutant viruses occurring a day.
Among these, the US pharmaceutical company NovaVax, which also signed a purchase contract with the Korean government, revealed that its Corona 19 vaccine showed 89.3% effectiveness in clinical trials. A preliminary study showed that NovaVax showed 89.3% preventive effect in a phase 3 clinical trial involving 15,000 people aged 18 to 84 in the UK. It has 85.6% prevention effects against mutant viruses originating in the UK and 60% against mutant viruses originating in South Africa. Experts evaluated this level of effect as acceptable.
Reporter Kim Jung-eun [email protected]
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