AstraZeneca clarifies will attend EU meeting on Covid-19 vaccine delay

Pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca said it would attend a meeting with EU representatives set to take place Wednesday to discuss delays of its Covid-19 vaccine, contradicting earlier claims from Brussels.

"We can confirm we have not pulled out, we will be attending the meeting with EU officials later today," an AstraZeneca spokeswoman said in a statement.

Reports earlier said the pharmaceutical group had pulled out of a meeting with representatives of the European Union.

The EU, in response, asked AstraZeneca to publish the contract it signed with the bloc on vaccine supplies.

The EU contract with AstraZeneca is an advance purchase agreement for the supply of at least 300 million doses provided that the vaccine is approved as safe and effective.

The sudden cancellation by the Anglo-Swedish firm marked a dramatic new turn in escalating tensions between it and the European Commission, which is demanding AstraZeneca fulfil its contract for the vaccine doses.

In an interview with newspapers on Tuesday, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the EU contract was based on a best-effort clause and did not commit the company to a specific timetable for deliveries.

Vaccine rollouts in the European Union have been slow compared with countries in some other regions, especially former EU member Britain, and fraught with problems, not least interruptions to supply chains.

AstraZeneca said in a statement on Wednesday: "Each supply chain was developed with input and investment from specific countries or international organisations based on the supply agreements, including our agreement with the European Commission.

"As each supply chain has been set up to meet the needs of a specific agreement, the vaccine produced from any supply chain is dedicated to the relevant countries or regions and makes use of local manufacturing wherever possible."

(with inputs from agencies)