EU rebuffs UK calls to ship AstraZeneca COVID vaccines from Europe

[Chris1950]

"AstraZeneca told EU officials that the UK is using a clause in its supply contract that prevents export of its vaccines until the British market is fully served, EU officials said."

What they mean is that instead of quibbling over price the Uk obtained an agreement that their contract would be honoured first before any other, yet to be agreed, contracts with other parties."

[Bkk Brian]

Well one things for sure, this UK Oxford University developed vaccine is certainly in demand and with its not for profit status arrangement with Astrazeneca is one of the leading vaccines for larger world use when production difficulties are resolved.

[Monokuro]

17 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

But the UK also has a contract with AZ and is not allowing any vaccine produced in the UK to go anywhere else.

I don't think you can use the phrase "not allowing", that sounds like they are restricting it in bad faith.

 

The UK contract with AZ says they can have the first 100m doses, which is what they are taking.

 

Now, if after they have their 100m doses and they still won't export any, then yes, I'll switch sides.

[irishman25]

14 hours ago, cocoonclub said:

You meant the EU has “the right to this vaccine it is already paid for with tax payers  money”, didn’t you? 

NO I DID NOT

[cocoonclub]

2 minutes ago, irishman25 said:

NO I DID NOT

Ok, then you were wrong. Because it has the right. 
 

PS: Check your caps-lock. Also your period and comma keys seem to be broken as well. 
 

 

[Rookiescot]

31 minutes ago, Monokuro said:

I don't think you can use the phrase "not allowing", that sounds like they are restricting it in bad faith.

 

The UK contract with AZ says they can have the first 100m doses, which is what they are taking.

 

Now, if after they have their 100m doses and they still won't export any, then yes, I'll switch sides.

 

My understanding is that the UK's contract forces Astra Zeneca to give it preferential supply from its UK manufacturing sites.

Astra Zeneca's contract with the EU is not so constricted but does require UK sites to be in the supply chain for the EU.

Hence the difficulties.

What I see is Astra Zeneca has entered into agreements with many "customers" and has over promised what it can deliver. This is not unusual for a company to do so but when it comes to something as critical as this vaccine things become heated. Customers are demanding Astra Zeneca delivers what it promised.

Now with over 20 years of working in the chemicals industry (indeed I worked for Astra Zeneca for about 5 years) production of any product is always subject to plant availability and robustness. Over those 20 odd years I saw maintenance budgets cut to the bone and available spares become almost non existent. It always seemed like a false economy to me but hey I was only a cog on a wheel in the greater scheme of things. If the plant is down for 48 hours because you are waiting for a replacement part but the product is worth millions of pounds every day it made no sense to me that we didnt have the spares available.

The fact that global supply chains are stretched with many companies trying to acquire the same raw materials will not help.

Then you need to factor in the vagaries of actual batch manufacture. Not every batch will produce the same yield and strength. Chemistry is sometimes a black art. Although you try and replicate each and every batch being the exact same sometimes tiny differences will make a huge difference in what you get.  

I suspect Astra Zeneca has been greedy here. Entering into contract after contract based of the best case scenario of what it can deliver. They will have done this because they will have feared losing market share to its competitors.

 

Real life production does not work like that.

[bangon04]

13 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I doubt the companies care who they sell to.

 

 

"Without regulatory approval, vaccines produced at Halix cannot be used in the EU."  Let's waste 100,000 vaccine doses to teach the Brits a lesson for Brexit.....

[cocoonclub]

1 hour ago, Chris1950 said:

"AstraZeneca told EU officials that the UK is using a clause in its supply contract that prevents export of its vaccines until the British market is fully served, EU officials said."

What they mean is that instead of quibbling over price the Uk obtained an agreement that their contract would be honoured first before any other, yet to be agreed, contracts with other parties."

If that’s in fact what AZ signed up for, they shouldn’t have agreed to the EU contract. In either way, the contract between AZ and the UK is not the EU’s business, so it’s off-topic in this thread. 

[cocoonclub]

5 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

"Without regulatory approval, vaccines produced at Halix cannot be used in the EU."  Let's waste 100,000 vaccine doses to teach the Brits a lesson for Brexit.....

Why do you think they are wasted? They will be used once the plant has received approval. Until then they will be safely stored there. You see, nothing wasted. 

[stuandjulie]

A piece from the pro Eu Huffington Vaccine Row: Why The UK And EU Are Kicking Off About Covid Jabs | HuffPost UK (huffingtonpost.co.uk)

 

[stuandjulie]

2 minutes ago, cocoonclub said:

Why do you think they are wasted? They will be used once the plant has received approval. Until then they will be safely stored there. You see, nothing wasted. 

I think you find they will be, the irony of all this is after Macron saying not for over 65's (and others) then saying not for under 55's hardly anyone in Europe wants it anyway !

[cocoonclub]

2 hours ago, Monokuro said:

It seems that the EU believe that any vaccine produced in the EU belongs to them unless they allow another country to have it, when really, it should be down to AZ and the signed contracts to decide where it goes.

You are right. What you forget though is that a party may take action against a contractual partner when the partner does not fulfill its contractual obligations. And it’s quite common that the law allows you to hold something in pawn. Of course, if AZ believes that the EU is acting against the contract or against the law, it can likewise herself take action against the EU.   

[CG1 Blue]

1 hour ago, Rookiescot said:

I suspect Astra Zeneca has been greedy here. Entering into contract after contract based of the best case scenario of what it can deliver. They will have done this because they will have feared losing market share to its competitors

In most other other scenarios I'd agree with you. But in a global pandemic and as one of the few companies with a viable vaccine, and producing it on a non-profit basis, I'd say AZ probably took those orders in good faith. 

[Hi from France]

3 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

But you've already said you believe nothing the UK government says, so when you discuss or speculate what they do now, its totally irrelevant correct?

I observe what the UK national-populist government says often proves wrong and that the UK signature and commitments have less value nowadays. 

 

But I am still interested, even if it all needs to be taken in weighing whether it is true or not (or partially true) and whether commitments will turn into reality or not. 

[Hi from France]

3 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Well one things for sure, this UK Oxford University developed vaccine is certainly in demand and with its not for profit status arrangement with Astrazeneca is one of the leading vaccines for larger world use when production difficulties are resolved.

I have to agree with you there! 

[cocoonclub]

7 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

In most other other scenarios I'd agree with you. But in a global pandemic and as one of the few companies with a viable vaccine, and producing it on a non-profit basis, I'd say AZ probably took those orders in good faith. 

By “good faith” you mean they honestly believed they could deliver all the contracts they signed up for? Maybe. It doesn’t change the situation they put themselves in much though. 

[Hi from France]

1 hour ago, stuandjulie said:

I think you find they will be, the irony of all this is after Macron saying not for over 65's (and others) then saying not for under 55's hardly anyone in Europe wants it anyway !

While this is clearly a mess, we still very much like our production to be dedicated to the countries who need it more than the UK, including us, of course. 

 

 

 

We in the EU also think the UK should do what we do: share, at least partly, its life-saving vaccine production with the rest of the world instead of keeping it all.

[candide]

1 hour ago, bangon04 said:

"Without regulatory approval, vaccines produced at Halix cannot be used in the EU."  Let's waste 100,000 vaccine doses to teach the Brits a lesson for Brexit.....

There's a very interesting sentence in the OP:

"AstraZeneca has not yet sought approval in the EU for Halix"

 

Perfidious AZ.......

[Albert Zweistein]

19 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

With a proviso that the EU can at anytime stop their worldwide exports should they feel it warranted ? Doesn't sound like a great place to have a business in the medical field

TO SERVE THEIR EU CUSTOMERS. Proper reading isn't easy. Besides once settled in the EU they operate as an EU company so no restrictions

[david555]

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1413299/uk-eu-vaccine-war-angela-merkel-and-boris-johnson-compromise-astrazeneca-latest

 

UK and EU vaccine war explodes as Angela Merkel rebuffs Boris Johnson’s compromise

BRITAIN and Brussels are on the brink of a vaccines war after it emerged Angela Merkel rebuffed Boris Johnson's attempts to broker a compromise.

 

By JOE BARNES, BRUSSELS CORRESPONDENT

15:59, Mon, Mar 22, 2021 | UPDATED: 16:21, Mon, Mar 22, 2021

 

The German Chancellor intervened to support the European Commission’s aggressive move to curb the export of Covid jabs. In a phone call with the Prime Minister on Sunday, she vented fury that the EU had shipped more than 34 million doses abroad but received "almost nothing" in return from the UK or US. She told the Mr Johnson it was "right" for Ursula von der Leyen to be exploring ways to further restrict shipment until AstraZeneca delivers more doses to member states.

[candide]

13 minutes ago, david555 said:

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1413299/uk-eu-vaccine-war-angela-merkel-and-boris-johnson-compromise-astrazeneca-latest

 

UK and EU vaccine war explodes as Angela Merkel rebuffs Boris Johnson’s compromise

BRITAIN and Brussels are on the brink of a vaccines war after it emerged Angela Merkel rebuffed Boris Johnson's attempts to broker a compromise.

By JOE BARNES, BRUSSELS CORRESPONDENT

15:59, Mon, Mar 22, 2021 | UPDATED: 16:21, Mon, Mar 22, 2021

 

The German Chancellor intervened to support the European Commission’s aggressive move to curb the export of Covid jabs. In a phone call with the Prime Minister on Sunday, she vented fury that the EU had shipped more than 34 million doses abroad but received "almost nothing" in return from the UK or US. She told the Mr Johnson it was "right" for Ursula von der Leyen to be exploring ways to further restrict shipment until AstraZeneca delivers more doses to member states.

UK and the EU will end up with a compromise:

- the EU needs lipids produced in UK

- BoJo is desperate because he has 24 million people waiting for their 2nd dose

[david555]

18 minutes ago, candide said:

UK and the EU will end up with a compromise:

- the EU needs lipids produced in UK

- BoJo is desperate because he has 24 million people waiting for their 2nd dose

www.reuters.com › article › merck-...
UPDATE 1-Germany's Merck boosts BioNTech lipid supply amid ...

https://www.reuters.com/article/merck-biontech-lipids-idUSL8N2KB29S

 

Here see , they start up already producing those lipid needed for vaccine production .....weakening  Boris " compromise "

[Hi from France]

52 minutes ago, candide said:

There's a very interesting sentence in the OP:

"AstraZeneca has not yet sought approval in the EU for Halix"

 

Perfidious AZ.......

AFAIK approval in the EU for the Halix plant is due three days from now, if the checks are all right.

 

The UK check are good, but very likely less exhaustive than our own EU checks. 

[vinny41]

8 minutes ago, david555 said:

www.reuters.com › article › merck-...
UPDATE 1-Germany's Merck boosts BioNTech lipid supply amid ...

https://www.reuters.com/article/merck-biontech-lipids-idUSL8N2KB29S

 

Here see , they start up already producing those lipid needed for vaccine production .....weakening  Boris " compromise "

from your own link

“Merck, in close collaboration with BioNTech, will significantly accelerate the supply of urgently needed lipids and increase the amount of lipid delivery towards the end of 2021,” Merck said in a statement on Friday.

[Hi from France]

For each vaccine type

 

France : Doses injected 

France : Doses delivered in the past and delivery forecast in the coming weeks

Source https://covidtracker.fr/vaccintracker/

[Hi from France]

Politico's coverage of the story 

Boris Johnson urged to keep cool as UK and EU square up on vaccines

The moment of truth will come on Thursday, when EU leaders discuss their course of action at a Council summit

 

Even the ERG is backing down 

Quote

David Jones, deputy chair of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, said the U.K. must not impose a lipid blockade “simply because I don’t think it’s the way civilized countries should operate.” 

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-urged-to-keep-cool-as-uk-and-eu-square-up-on-vaccines/

 

My take is that

* the EU will stop exporting arguing that the UK has had plenty and has been keeping it all. 

* the UK doesn't want to escalate as it would highlight how selfish they have been while the EU was sharing its own production.

 

Are British politicians kind of ashamed? Seems so to me, but please share your own take... 

[david555]

28 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

from your own link

“Merck, in close collaboration with BioNTech, will significantly accelerate the supply of urgently needed lipids and increase the amount of lipid delivery towards the end of 2021,” Merck said in a statement on Friday.

Whatever ....

forget the times you where a E.U. member and all members got their share of interests or equal divided  productions as members, example the Euro passporting ..and others ....now it becomes each at their own side economys ....as E. U. and third country is the lead now ....

 

 

 

[CG1 Blue]

1 hour ago, cocoonclub said:

By “good faith” you mean they honestly believed they could deliver all the contracts they signed up for? Maybe. It doesn’t change the situation they put themselves in much though. 

By good faith I mean they would make best efforts to fulfil all contracts. Why wouldn't they during a global pandemic? 

[david555]

1 minute ago, Hi from France said:

Politico's coverage of the story 

Boris Johnson urged to keep cool as UK and EU square up on vaccines

The moment of truth will come on Thursday, when EU leaders discuss their course of action at a Council summit

 

Even the ERG is backing down 

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-urged-to-keep-cool-as-uk-and-eu-square-up-on-vaccines/

 

My take is that

* the EU will stop exporting arguing that the UK has had plenty and has been keeping it all. 

* the UK doesn't want to escalate as it would highlight how selfish they have been while the EU was sharing its own production.

 

Are British politicians kind of ashamed? Seems so to me, but please share your own take... 

As Boris his politic activa is depending on his vaccination sucsess.....

 

What about his secret sattelite  deal with Indish millionair in backroom deal at #10 .nottingh logged in the #10 books ....what is there really arranged .....????

Somerhing for later to find out ????

[candide]

37 minutes ago, david555 said:

www.reuters.com › article › merck-...
UPDATE 1-Germany's Merck boosts BioNTech lipid supply amid ...

https://www.reuters.com/article/merck-biontech-lipids-idUSL8N2KB29S

 

Here see , they start up already producing those lipid needed for vaccine production .....weakening  Boris " compromise "

The compromise may be something like this: UK will get enough supply to be able to give a second jab to a significant share (all?) of people already vaccinated, and the EU keeps at least what was scheduled in contracts with supplier + eventual surplus.