In The First Session Of Hearing Trial, The European Union Urges AstraZeneca To Send Vaccines From The UK

European Union illustration. (Wikimedia Commons / Thijs ter Haar)

JAKARTA - European Union lawyers have urged the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer, AstraZeneca, to immediately ship the vaccine from a factory in the UK. This urge was expressed in the inaugural session of the dispute over the fulfillment of the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca for the European Union, Wednesday, April 28.

This trial is a token of the failure of AstraZeneca to fulfill the COVID-19 vaccine order for the European Union according to the target, thus hampering the COVID-19 vaccination program in the Blue Continent.

The European Union has accused the company of failing to fulfill its contractual obligations, while AstraZeneca said it was complying with the agreement, which it deems to be non-binding.

"We demand deliveries by the end of June and we also demand the immediate use of all the factories listed in the contract", EU lawyer Rafael Jafferali told the judge in the courtroom.

"The contract listed a series of factories that AstraZeneca had to use and still to this day because it violated the contract, AstraZeneca did not use it", continued Jafferali.

However, AstraZeneca attorney Hakim Boularbah denied any obligation to use the factory.

"There is no obligation to use the factory", he argued.

AstraZeneca's contract with the European Union lists four vaccine manufacturers, namely in the Netherlands and Belgium, two factories that have shipped vaccines to the European Union. As well as two factories in the UK run by Oxford Biomedica (OXB.L) and Cobra Biologics. These two factories have not yet shipped a vaccine to the EU.

The contract also states that the Catalent plant in the United States, which produces AstraZeneca's vaccine, could serve as a backup supply location.

EU officials have told Reuters AstraZeneca confirmed a lack of supply from the UK by citing a clause in its UK contract, which prevents the export of the vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford.

The UK government has rejected export restrictions and is seeking additional doses from a factory in the Netherlands run by AstraZeneca's sub-contractor, Halix. Meanwhile, the European Union is now blocking exports from the factory.

With the pandemic still raging across the continent, the AstraZeneca vaccine is seen as a central part of Europe's immunization campaign. Its simple storage requirements make this vaccine suitable for delivery to poor countries.

At the end of March, AstraZeneca sent only a quarter of its commitments to the European Union. The company has said it will deliver a total of 100 million doses to the block by the end of June, not the 300 million estimated in the contract.

Under the UK's 100 million dose contract, AstraZeneca was supposed to have shipped 30 million by September 2020 but only supplied about five million at the end of last year.

In yesterday's court, the European Union and AstraZeneca agreed to hold two hearings on May 26. EU lawyers called for a decision before the end of June to ensure the missed dose can be given in a timely manner. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca's lawyers hope that this dispute will end soon.

"AstraZeneca deeply regrets the European Commission's decision to initiate this legal action. We hope to resolve this dispute as soon as possible", he hoped.