Tag: astrazeneca

Vaccine shortfall forces EU to modify jabs strategy

  by Marc BURLEIGH Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Commission said Monday a shortfall in deliveries from Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca had forced it to recalibrate its early coronavirus vaccination strategy. The head of the Commission’s health directorate, Sandra Gallina, told MEPs the firm has been able to guarantee just 25 percent of the more than 100 million doses promised and that this was “a real issue” for the EU’s 27 countries. […]

Japan says EU export curbs delaying its Covid-19 vaccination plan

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — EU export rules are preventing Japan from finalizing its coronavirus vaccination plan, a Tokyo minister said Tuesday, after the bloc introduced a controversial new mechanism for the shipment of jabs made inside its borders. With less than six months until the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics, Japan has yet to set out when it will vaccinate its population of 126 million people, although it hopes to give the first doses later in February. […]

Pres. Duterte says EU move to restrict exports of AstraZeneca vaccines, not good for poor countries

Says EU trying to “hostage” AstraZeneca vaccines produced in European bloc   (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte noted how the European Union (EU) had been pressuring Oxford-AstraZeneca on its vaccine supplies, as the European bloc threatened to block AstraZeneca vaccine exports outside EU. Duterte noted that this was just the way it is: rich countries will try to hog vaccines as supplies dwindle. Countries where the vaccines are manufactured will also naturally have the […]

Roque: 5.6 million vaccine doses from Pfizer, AstraZeneca to arrive this first quarter

Over 9.4-M vaccine doses to arrive under WHO’s COVAX Facility by second quarter (Eagle News) — Malacanang said that around 5.6 million vaccine doses from Pfizer and AstraZeneca would be arriving in the country this first quarter, with the first batches to arrive this February in preparation for the Philippines mass vaccination drive against COVID-19. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced this on Monday, Feb. 1, saying that this was the “very good news” he wanted […]

AstraZeneca to increase EU vaccine deliveries by 30 percent: Von der Leyen

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — AstraZeneca will increase its coronavirus vaccine deliveries to the EU by 30 percent, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday as the bloc sought to claw back time lost rolling out the jabs. The British-Swedish company had announced last week that it could deliver only a quarter of the doses originally promised to the bloc for the first quarter of the year because of problems at one of its […]

Germany threatens legal action over vaccine delays

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s government on Sunday threatened legal action against laboratories failing to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the European Union on schedule, amid tension over delays to deliveries from AstraZeneca. “If it turns out that companies have not respected their obligations, we will have to decide the legal consequences,” Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told German daily Die Welt. “No company can favour another country over the EU after the fact,” he added. […]

AstraZeneca hit by Covid jab delays and disagreements

  by Véronique DUPONT Agence France Presse Only a few weeks ago, Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca was being applauded for the speed with which it developed its Covid-19 vaccine. Experts heralded the launch of the jab as a turning point in the pandemic, not least because it can be transported and stored more easily than its Pfizer/BioNTech counterpart. The Anglo-Swedish firm also won plaudits for promising to provide the vaccine on a non-profit basis to […]

EU backtracks on restricting vaccines to Northern Ireland

  BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The EU backtracked Friday over threats to restrict vaccine exports to Northern Ireland after London voiced “grave concerns” over the proposed move. A furious row over shortages of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has risked stoking conflict with the UK just weeks after London and Brussels sealed a Brexit trade agreement. The EU had warned it would invoke Article 16 — overriding part of a deal with London allowing the free-flow of […]

EU approves AstraZeneca jab as worries grow over virus strains

  by Jan HENNOP with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse The European Union on Friday approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for use on all adults, as concerns grow around the world over the effectiveness of different jabs against new strains of Covid-19. Brussels’ announcement after a green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) marks the third vaccine approved for use in the EU, following the jabs made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The pharma giant’s […]

Macron: AstraZeneca vaccine ‘quasi-ineffective’ for over-65s

  PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine appeared not to be effective for people over 65 years of age. Speaking to reporters only hours before the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the vaccine for adults of all ages, Macron also questioned Britain’s decision to delay the second dose of Covid vaccines to inoculate more people. Macron said there was “very little information” available for the vaccine […]

AstraZeneca vaccine row sets EU, UK on collision course

  by Marc BURLEIGH with Jitendra JOSHI in London Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU demands that AstraZeneca make up delays of its Covid-19 vaccine by supplying doses from its UK factories on Wednesday risked setting the bloc and Britain on a post-Brexit collision course. Both the European Union and former member Britain insisted the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company uphold contractual delivery promises to each of them — even as the company said there […]

AstraZeneca ‘not selling EU doses to other countries’: CEO

PARIS, France (AFP) — AstraZeneca’s CEO insisted Tuesday that the company was not selling vaccines ordered by the European Union to other countries at a profit, after delayed orders sparked fury from EU leaders. The British-Swedish drugs firm admitted last week that it would not meet its contractual delivery commitments to the EU because of “reduced yields” in its European supply chain. That prompted European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides to announce that the EU plans […]