Delays by AstraZeneca, EU threatens to block out-of-block anti-Covid vaccine exports  

Brussels on Monday threatened to block the export of Covid-19 vaccines outside the block with AstraZeneca announcing that deliveries would be reduced for several weeks.

The pharmaceutical giant told the European Commission on Friday that there would be delivery delays in the first quarter of this year - a week after Pfizer made a similar announcement.

Ministers in Britain, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was mainly developed, said they opposed protectionism "in all its forms".

The EU Steering Board - made up of health officials from the Commission and member states - held a virtual meeting with AstraZeneca on Monday afternoon to discuss the issue but "the company's responses have not been satisfactory so far," said Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. in a statement.

"The European Union will take whatever action is required to protect its citizens," Kyriakides said in a statement.

She said the announcement that she intended to supply "much fewer doses" than had been agreed "is not acceptable", stressing that the bloc had "pre-funded vaccine development".

"We want clarity in transactions and full transparency regarding the export of vaccines from the EU.

"In the future, all companies producing COVID-19 vaccines in the EU will have to give early notice whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries," she added. Humanitarian shipments will not be affected.

AstraZeneca must 'fulfill its contractual obligations'

The EU has secured about 2.3 billion doses of vaccine through Advance Purchase Agreements with six pharmaceutical companies, including 300 million doses from AstraZeneca.

The EMA has not yet approved the strike which has already been thrown at Britain, India, Mexico and Brazil. The European regulator is expected to give its approval on 29 January.

The EU vaccination campaign, which started in late December, has so far relied on strikes by Pfizer / BioNtech and Moderna.