Raid 29 Million Doses Of Vaccine AstraZeneca, European Union Tightens Vaccine Exports

European Union illustration. (Wikimedia Commons / Håkan Dahlström)

JAKARTA - The polemic for the export of the COVID-19 vaccine between the European Union and vaccine producer AstraZeneca is entering a new chapter, in line with the EU's proposal to tighten vaccine export controls announced on Wednesday, March 24.

The new export control proposal submitted by the European Commission would regulate the export of the COVID-19 vaccine from the European Union, based on the vaccination rates and vaccine exports of the destination country.

The move is the Commission's latest attempt to protect supplies for its citizens, following AstraZeneca's shortage of delivering vaccine doses to the European Union, despite contractual obligations, while continuing to meet its target vaccine dose to the UK.

EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said the changes aimed to have more transparency on exports, as well as get a complete picture of what is happening outside the European Union, to avoid possible circumventing the rule.

Dombrovskis' remarks came the same day, when 29 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine planned for export were found in a reported 'raid' at a factory outside Rome, Italy, reported CNN.

Dombrovskis said the European Union could not comment on the origin or potential use of the millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine reportedly found in Italy. But noted, the drug makers are "very far from their contractual commitments".

"They have committed to deliver 120 million doses to the EU in the first quarter of this year. They promised to deliver 30 million doses, but they are not even close to this figure, to this day", said Dombrovskis.

Meanwhile, an AstraZeneca spokesman denied reports that the doses were part of the inventory. He said the vaccine was made outside of the European Union and taken to factories to be filled in bottles, before distributing it to low and middle-income countries through the COVAX facility.

He further explained that 13 million of these doses were awaiting the release of quality control to be sent to COVAX. Another 16 million doses are awaiting quality control to be released to Europe.

"The vaccine manufacturing process is very complex and time-consuming. The vaccine dosage must wait for quality control permits after the bottles are filled", he explained.

Also on Wednesday, the European Union and Britain issued a joint statement, to cooperate on specific steps to create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supplies.

The plan is for European leaders to meet this Thursday and Friday to discuss proposals and the broader coronavirus crisis in Europe.