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| The EU has started to roll out the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, although AstraZeneca is yet to be approved. (Photo by=Getty Images) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] The EU is urging pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to publish their vaccine contract, amid an escalating row over delivery shortfalls, BBC reported. The EU is unhappy with the explanation over the production delays, but a confidentiality clause binds it from releasing the deal's details.
In an interview, the company's CEO said the contract compelled it to make its "best effort", rather than obliging it to meet a set deadline. The two sides are set to meet later. Earlier on Wednesday, an EU official said that AstraZeneca had pulled out of the meeting, but the company has since insisted it will attend. The EU signed a deal with AstraZeneca in August for 300 million doses, with an option for 100 million more, but the company has reported production delays at two plants, one in the Netherlands and one in Belgium.
Meanwhile, Pfizer/BioNTech, which has an even bigger vaccine-production deal with the EU, is also experiencing delays. French drugmaker Sanofi has announced that it will help produce 125 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab by the end of the year. The company will allow Germany-based BioNTech to use its facilities in Frankfurt from July, Sanofi said in a statement, having delayed the development of its own vaccine.
