EU suing AZ

[Baileysforchristmas]

Do you think it’s a good idea to sue a non profit vaccine producer in the middle of a pandemic? Especially when it’s in the contract the EU can’t sue for late delivery

www.politico.eu/article/belgium-was-warned-eus-astrazeneca-contract-lacked-teeth-documents/

@IndigoC haven't we already said we will give to covax and poorer countries excess doses though , we are not just going to sit on them , plus we won't have excess now in time for when eu want then we have a lot of second doses left to give

@IndigoC

It occurs to me that now that the U.K. is moving away from giving AZ to under 40s it would make sense for the U.K. AZ factory to start directing some of their capacity to Europe? Seems only fair given the Pfizer and Moderna we’re using is coming from Europe and once second doses are done we’ll have no use for the remaining 40-50 million doses in our contract.

Depends where. Spain has got at least a million in the fridge unused atm

I just mean the EU claim to have a contract that requires supply from the U.K. factory. I’m not sure why we’d bother fighting that given we’re about to have a lot of surplus because we’re choosing to use European imports for under 40s.

We're not finding it, though. It's fundamentally not our problem. It's a legal dispute between the EU and AZ.

If we do have excess supply I'd like to see them go to India or Covax rather than the EU, as the need there is greater and vaccine availability poorer.

*fighting it not finding it, in line one. Sorry - new puppy, long day, zero brain.

@Motorina

We're not finding it, though. It's fundamentally not our problem. It's a legal dispute between the EU and AZ.

If we do have excess supply I'd like to see them go to India or Covax rather than the EU, as the need there is greater and vaccine availability poorer.

If the U.K. government gives up its preferential treatment over that factory then yes, it could end the dispute. The problem is two conflicting contracts. AZ overcommitted the U.K. factory.

If the EU got their allocated supply I imagine they would forward it to Covax.

@Motorina

*fighting it not finding it, in line one. Sorry - new puppy, long day, zero brain.

Congrats on the new puppy. 🙂

Except it wouldn’t. The EU are suing for 90 million doses. U.K. output is 2.5 million per week. Even if we abandoned it for second doses and redirected it all to the EU it wouldn’t touch the sides.

And thank you. She’s just dropping off to sleep, so currently I like her

This article clearly has an agenda, but none the less it's an interesting discussion on what the law suit might achieve, and what the plaintiff might be hoping to achieve, given that magicing up doses that don't exist is beyond the powers of even the most robust of courts.

www.politico.eu/article/eu-takes-astrazeneca-to-court-for-vaccine-doses-and-revenge/

[quote Motorina]This article clearly has an agenda, but none the less it's an interesting discussion on what the law suit might achieve, and what the plaintiff might be hoping to achieve, given that magicing up doses that don't exist is beyond the powers of even the most robust of courts.

www.politico.eu/article/eu-takes-astrazeneca-to-court-for-vaccine-doses-and-revenge/[/quote]
Good read, thank you.

Remarkable just how much AZ over-promised and under-delivered. 300 million doses by the end of June, and so far only 50 million. The problem is the EU relied on that promise in their deal making with other vendors. I understand the desire for some sort of moral victory in court, albeit it’s ultimately pointless.

I still think it would be an act of political goodwill at this point to not get in the way of AZ honouring it’s contract with the EU re: the U.K. factory.

@IndigoC

It occurs to me that now that the U.K. is moving away from giving AZ to under 40s it would make sense for the U.K. AZ factory to start directing some of their capacity to Europe? Seems only fair given the Pfizer and Moderna we’re using is coming from Europe and once second doses are done we’ll have no use for the remaining 40-50 million doses in our contract.

The problem is that the UK has a population if roughly 21.5 million between the ages of 40-65. Some will still be waiting for first vaccines, most waiting for second.

You seem to forget it was shortages of Pfizer, AZ and recently Moderna that caused the UK to make the decision way back in January to increase it's timing between doses. The EU could have done the same to mitigate vaccines shortages but chooses not to.

Second doses of AZ in the UK won't be completed until mid-end of July. However, the EU lawsuit this week demands another 90 million doses by the end of July.

How many doses do you think the UK will not "have use for" by then? Where are these 90million doses to come from exactly?

Yes, the UK has contracts with Pfizer and Moderna, vaccines produced in the EU. But our contracts with these companies are irrelevant in the context of the EU's contracts with AZ. Surely if we're talking about fairness, then sending 5m doses of vaccine back to India should be top of the list?

I think you’re getting caught up in headline numbers when I’m talking about political willingness to allow the British factory to supply to Europe as per their contract. It’s obvious they’re never going to meet their inflated, rashly optimistic initial promises.

As for sending the excess doses to India, I suspect somewhere else will be more in need by then. India plans to manufacture 2 billion doses for itself over the coming months, at the expense of countries it was supposed to supply as part of the AZ agreement that currently per capita have higher case and death rates.

I am confused why you think headline numbers don't matter when it is precisely headline numbers which form the basis of the EU lawsuits. The latest EU headline number is they demand AZ supply 90 million doses that, even with best endeavours, AZ says it cannot supply.

The UK has a contact with AZUK to supply to the UK all doses produced in the UK by AZUK . AZUK is not under contract to the EU. If there was a contract for AZUK to supply the EU then there would be no need to suggest the UK let the EU have doses as a "gesture of political goodwill".

Talking of which, when were you thinking this "gesture of political goodwill" might be made? Before or after the 21m 40-65 year olds receive their first/second doses?

If after the UK has finished vaccinating with AZ and AZUK is producing surplus then of course there is a valid argument. If before, then it's a no from me. I'm already waiting 11 weeks between doses and I don't wish to wait longer so the EU can give their doses closer together.

As for India, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. You make it sound like India is being selfish which given their current predicament is insensitive to say the least.