AstraZeneca

[AdaHopper]

Last week this was published on CNN and in the European press:

Its contract with the UK, however, also states that company only needs to make its "best reasonable efforts" to stick to the original agreed delivery schedule, which the company could "update and refine" when necessary. The agreement says the company must notify BEIS at least 30 days before each delivery with a "firm and final" schedule.
Where there may be a significant difference is in which markets the drug company is prioritizing. Soriot confirmed to La Repubblica that his company had agreed to supply the UK before other markets,,^ saying it was "fair enough" because the UK had reached an agreement with AstraZeneca earlier than the EU. But the UK's official contract is actually dated August 28, one day after the EU's contract.

I haven't seen it make an appearance in any UK press. Why? I live in an EU country now but lived in the UK most of my life (EU nationality) and I was shocked about the way people reacted at the time. A lot of the 'eu can fuck itself' and 'I voted remain but I wouldn't now'.

Did the UK government purposefully frame the situation to create more 'anti-Eu' feelings? If so, how is that a good idea in a world where we rely on each other?

www.cnn.com/2021/02/17/europe/uk-astrazeneca-vaccine-contract-details-intl/index.html

I saw this in CNN too.

Personally I'm not sure the govt purposefully framed it, just sat back amazed that they were looking in a good light so kept quiet and enjoyed it.

I wonder what AZ motivations were. Maybe because the UK is said to have paid more?

University of Oxford, 30 April 2020;

The University of Oxford has today announced an agreement with the UK-based global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the further development, large-scale manufacture and potential distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate currently being trialled by the University.

It also comes alongside £20 million Government funding for Oxford University’s vaccine research and support for the institution’s clinical trials.

Under the new agreement, as well as providing UK access as early as possible if the vaccine candidate is successful, AstraZeneca will work with global partners on the international distribution of the vaccine, particularly working to make it available and accessible for low and medium income countries.

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-04-30-landmark-partnership-announced-development-covid-19-vaccine

University of Oxford, 18 May 2020;

The Government has announced £65.5 million of new funding for the vaccine being developed at the University of Oxford as coronavirus vaccine trials accelerate.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: 'Our scientists are at the forefront of vaccine development. This deal with AstraZeneca means that if the Oxford University vaccine works, people in the UK will get the first access to it...

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-05-18-funding-and-manufacturing-boost-uk-vaccine-programme

Government press release 17 May 2020;

if the Oxford vaccine is successful, AstraZeneca will work to make up to 30 million doses available by September [2020] for people in the UK, as part of an agreement to deliver 100 million doses in total.

This will mean the UK will be the first country to get access to the vaccine, should it be successful.

www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-and-manufacturing-boost-for-uk-vaccine-programme

I think this is a bit of a non story. The UK govt had already funded the vaccine research with Oxford and they were instrumental in getting Oxford to go into partnership with AZ. (Oxford had lined up Merck but UK Health Sec was worried about Trump and vaccine nationalism).

The UK had also put money into building the UK supply chain which included plants in EU.

I know the EU contributed also but I don't know where there money went.

I don't know if this was the original deal or a subsequent deal and I know the UK agreed to purchase more vaccine at some point.

There are some interesting tweets from those connected with Oxford. Sandy Douglas (I think that's his name) is one.

It had also been widely reported that UK had agreed a UK 1st supply of vaccine.

In this instance I don't think the UK purposely framed it as such. They didn't need too. The EU created all the bad feeling on their own. I wouldn't give the UK govt enough credit to forsee this situation.

I think EU dithered and spent too long arguing over price (which was cost) and also trying to pass any liability on to manufacturer.

One of the EUs senior bods posted quite a lot about this ..

guyverhofstadt.medium.com/two-contracts-lots-of-questions-and-not-nearly-enough-vaccines-cf1c2380cf29

TL;DR is that the EUs contract was flawed, compared to the UKs, not helped by the less than transparent way the Commission chose to do business.

Interesting read:

www.politico.eu/article/the-key-differences-between-the-eu-and-uk-astrazeneca-contracts/

It wasn’t just about the contract it was about how the EU behaved afterwards. Macrons comments it was quazzi effective, leaked German press saying it was mediocre, then the reaction from VDL closing NI border, the whole thing was a fiasco, and now you have EU countries not wanting to use it and it’s sat on shelves 🙄

Do you mean the media? The government didn't actually say anything about it.

Yes it was the media but it was supposed to have been leaked by a German politician

@AdaHopper I don’t think the UK framed the EU, they did a good job of messing it up on their own, the way they behaved was awful, the contract was not what put them in a bad light.

And your point is?

Did the UK government purposefully frame the situation to create more 'anti-Eu' feelings?

Don't see how as it was Van Leyden who kicked it off, referring to events before EMA had given approval

@RoseAndRose

Did the UK government purposefully frame the situation to create more 'anti-Eu' feelings?

Don't see how as it was Van Leyden who kicked it off, referring to events before EMA had given approval

Unlikely. I have seen nothing in the past few years that suggest the government was capable of understanding such a scheme, let alone engineering it.

Ultimately, the EU messed up. Big time. And we will know that because they will inquire, and they will report.

To a certain degree this shouldn't be too much of a shock to Remainers. After all even the most die-hard EU supporter freely admitted there were problems with the way it worked. This is an unfortunate example of it.

The real test is if the commission does learn from it, and change it's ways.

What annoys me is the UK mess up all the time and is heavily criticised for it, rightly so, the EU mess up and the UK actually get something right but still it’s the UK that gets the blame 🤷‍♀️ The EU don’t seem to want to be accountable and everyone makes excuses for them, why? We would never give the UK government so much leeway.

@Baileysforchristmas

What annoys me is the UK mess up all the time and is heavily criticised for it, rightly so, the EU mess up and the UK actually get something right but still it’s the UK that gets the blame 🤷‍♀️ The EU don’t seem to want to be accountable and everyone makes excuses for them, why? We would never give the UK government so much leeway.

Where has the UK "got the blame" and who from ?

We would never give the UK government so much leeway.

It depends on which flavour of Government. A Labour Government gets no leeway. Until now Johnson's Government has messed up - bunging contracts left right and centre to their mates for things which don't work - who hears much of Dido Harding now and her failed track and trace system? The one thing they have got right are mostly due to the quality of scientific research and the NHS. It's gone right despite Johnson.

Well the EU vaccine rollout for a start.

It’s all the UK’s fault as we stole their vaccines, which they don’t want anyway.

They don't want them. We took them. So it's a win win. Why are you complaining?

Sorry, Baileysforchristmas but I am struggling a bit here.

Where did you read that the UK was being blamed for anything in the EU regarding their vaccine rollout ? Because I've not read that at all.

@DGRossetti blamed for Christmas has been spreading lots of anti eu sentiment and misinformation on other posts. She even posts links and misquotes them to change the meaning entirely because, predictably, she can't provide any actual proof.

[quote QuentinInQuarantino]@DGRossetti blamed for Christmas has been spreading lots of anti eu sentiment and misinformation on other posts. She even posts links and misquotes them to change the meaning entirely because, predictably, she can't provide any actual proof.[/quote]
In which case you'd think they'd steer clear of the actual Brexit forum where there is a real danger of meeting facts

I had already suspected that was the case and was hoping to tease an Express link or the like, which is kind of the Godwins of Brexit. The moment you cite the Express, you've lost the game.

However for the silent non-posting majority that read and run my impression has been that the countries signed up to the EUs vaccine programme are mighty pissed off with the European Commission and really couldn't give two hoots for what the UK is up to. As per ....

Why are the true BeLeavers upset? They have got their Brexit. What the EU does, either good, bad or indifferent need not concern them.

@Peregrina

Why are the true BeLeavers upset? They have got their Brexit. What the EU does, either good, bad or indifferent need not concern them.

Because they now have to fight every day to ensure the UK doesn't end up rejoining by stealth. Already it's been openly noted that joining "a" Customs Union would solve a lot of problems in NI.

If the UK and EU were to create a single market it would also solve the fishing issues.

So as long as those are even remotely possible there needs to be an ongoing black media ops operation.

At least until all the fishermen are out of business and there's nothing to save anymore.

I imagine the Tory Chumocracy has already signalled down the grapevine that there could be some cheap seaside properties coming on the market in Cornwall that they may want to invest in for their luxury holiday cottage market.

I'm on some local forums and the UK has been mentioned a couple of times, as in "why aren't we going faster" but actually not one commenter has mentioned the EU at all, they're all criticizing the country government instead.

My town has used the AZ on all its police force, I'd better let them know that baileysforchristmas has read we are just chucking it away. They can't have got the message!

One of the EU's senior bods posted quite a lot about this

The Guy Verhofstadt blog is misleading;

The UK however only pays on invoice 30 days after delivery. So in effect the EU has helped pre-fund the production of vaccines that the UK only has to pay for afterwards.

He doesn't mention anything about the funding provided by the UK government for research/development/manufacturing prior to authorisation. As Wakeupin2022 points out - we don't know what the EU's down payment contributed to.

Wakeupin2022
There are some interesting tweets from those connected with Oxford. Sandy Douglas (I think that's his name) is one.

Yes, I see his tweets now - I've just spotted his name in one of my links as well;

18 May 2020 - Dr. Alexander Douglas, the leader of the research group at Oxford which has developed the manufacturing method, said: 'We have been preparing for large-scale manufacturing of our vaccine candidate since February. This funding [UK Government] enables manufacturing to start immediately, and so will make the vaccine available as soon as possible...

Twitter -
Sandy Douglas Jan 30
Discussing this in terms of queues at butchers' shops seems to be the metaphor of choice. The UK gov didn't get ahead in the queue for the Ox/AZ vaccine, let alone jump the queue. It funded the 'shop' - and helped us open a chain of them to help as many countries as possible...

UK government didn't just buy some doses, it paid >90% of the cost of developing the vaccine, including a complex new manufacturing process developed by our group.

who hears much of Dido Harding now and her failed track and trace system?

Probably because Germany's much praised track and trace system (much praised by Keir Starmer in particular) also appears to have failed in the last 3 or 4 months.

It's a moot point given France & Germany did a Ratners on it & now they have excess.