The EU Throws its Toys and Vaccines Out of The Pram

 

In a remarkable display of petulance, the EU is picking a fight with both Pfizer and AstraZeneca over the supply of vaccines.

The EU claims that it is not happy with the supply side of the vaccine rollout, and is threatening to block exports from the EU of vaccines manufactured by both Pfizer and AZ.

The UK might be affected in some part by a blockade of Pfizer exports. However, as the majority of the AZ vaccine is manufactured and packed in the UK, any nonsensical blockade will not materially affect AZ supplies.

To add grist to the EU's mill of petulance, Handelsblatt published a piece that can only be described as utter bollocks; claiming the the AZ vaccine was only 8% or less effective in older age groups. Suffice to say AZ are furious with this lie, and have categorically denied it. 

The lie has forced the German Health Ministry to issue a statement stating that Handelsblatt is talking bollocks.

statement from the German health ministry:

"At first glance it seems that the [newspaper] reports have mixed up two things: about 8% of those tested in the AstraZeneca efficacy study were between 56 and 69, only 3-4 per cent over 70 (MHRA Approval Public Assessment Report)." https://t.co/rPW7RQimiH

— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) January 26, 2021

This in itself is ironic, given that the German Health Ministry has been briefing against AZ over the past few days.

Anyhoo, whilst the EU carries on throwing a tantrum (in order to deflect from its botched vaccine rollout) there are a couple of wee points that those with calmer heads may care to consider:

1 The EMA has not yet approved AZ's vaccine.

2 There is more than a good chance that, given this nonsense, AZ (which is complying with its side of the supply agreement) may terminate its contract with the EU.

thread

EU VACCINE SUPPLY

1. If, as seems likely, the AstraZeneca/EU Advanced Purchase Agreement (APA) is similar to the Curevac/EU APA, AstraZeneca's legal position in regard to delay and/or reduction of supply appears strong.

— Barrister's Horse (@BarristersHorse) January 26, 2021

Peston explains very clealry how the EU screwed this up from day one:

The important difference between AstraZeneca's relationship with the UK and with the EU, and the reason it has fallen behind schedule on 50m vaccine doses promised to the EU, is that the UK agreed the deal with AZ a full three months before the EU did - which gave...

— Robert Peston (@Peston) January 26, 2021

 

At the end of the day, the EU has mounted a disregardful smear campaign against a company that is trying to help vaccinate the population of Europe.

For why?

To cover up it woefully inadequate vaccine rollout!