AstraZeneca reaches vaccine shipping milestone as EU sues again
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AstraZeneca Plc has delivered 50 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to European Union countries, according to EU supply data, a milestone the company had originally been expected to hit in January.
The volumes delivered make up just one-sixth of total commitments so far, and the European Commission is set to launch on Tuesday a second legal case against AstraZeneca over delayed deliveries, a spokesman for the EU executive said on Monday.
Repeated cuts to supplies, which contributed to delays in the EU’s vaccination drive, pushed the EU Commission to sue the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker in late April in a bid to get more doses by mid-year.
On Tuesday, it will launch a new case on the merits of the issue, which an official familiar with the proceedings said was mostly procedural but would allow the EU to seek potential financial penalties.
AstraZeneca had shipped nearly 50 million doses as of May 7, an EU official told Reuters on Monday, citing the latest EU internal figures on vaccine supplies.
In mid-March, the company had pledged to deliver 50.2 million doses to the EU by the end of April, an AstraZeneca document seen by Reuters showed.
