4 ms·

There were entirely separate supply chains. The one for the EU failed because the EU demanded it was in the EU (because 'solidarity') and the yields weren't suf

by krona 6y ago

There were entirely separate supply chains. The one for the EU failed because the EU demanded it was in the EU (because 'solidarity') and the yields weren't sufficient. Then the EU demanded doses to be supplied from other supply chains because 'the contract blah blah' even though the EU has no legal leg to stand on; the commission is looking for a scapegoat and it thinks it has found one.

libertine 6y ago
From my understanding, they weren't entirely separate supply chains, since the contracts featured plants in the UK, just like the UK had plants in EU to fulfill their contract. You're saying yields weren't sufficient when some plants weren't even submitted for EMA approval until late March 2021, that's few weeks ago. And looks like it was submitted after the EU pressured them to, or let's say, when it came to light. Which was quite convenient because such vaccines wouldn't be subject to export controls. If they have no legal leg, why are they sueing? To show the world they lost a case lol... if they are suing they feel like they have a clear case.
danhor 6y ago
That is just not true: - The contract clearly states that AZ can produce outside the EU, the comission just has to agree. Since AZ tried to get doses from the US & India, it's very likely that wouldn't have been a problem. You can also see on Schedule A, that parts of the allowed sites for the initial doses for the EU were in the UK. - The Belgian plant is producing fully (contrary to what was claimed by the CEO, see https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-plant-blamed-for-astrazeneca-vaccine-shortage-says-it-met-all-deliveries/ https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-plant-blamed-for-ast...) - The Halix plant was only intended for use for the UK (see: https://www.politico.eu/article/after-failing-to-deliver-astrazeneca-rethinks-eu-coronavirus-vaccine-supply-chain/ https://www.politico.eu/article/after-failing-to-deliver-ast...) and it was later on decided to use it just for EU supply. Furthermore, the manufacturing agreement was only signed at the beginning of December (https://www.halix.nl/2020/12/08/halix-signs-agreement-astrazeneca-commercial-manufacture-covid-19-vaccine/ https://www.halix.nl/2020/12/08/halix-signs-agreement-astraz...) This just seems like AZ just ... didn't contract enough companies to even remotely archive the numbers they promised for Q1 (and now Q2). I don't know what their thinking was, but hopefully this lawsuit will be able to shed some light on that.
- youngtaff 6y ago
  The U.K. invested £21m into the Halix plant in April 2020 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/british-taxpayers-funded-eu-factory-at-heart-of-vaccine-row/ar-BB1fdzpE https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/british-taxpayers-fund... I think the main difference between the U.K. and EUs approaches is that the U.K. were willing to accept some vaccines would fail and other succeed but were willing to accept the loses Even AZ production in the U.K. is below what was expected
  - danhor 6y ago
    The investment doesn't seem very clear-cut[1]: "[W]hen I went to visit the site and I asked how much they’re received from the British government, the chairman and the CEO were there and they told me ‘zero’.". It could be money just given to Oxford, to support Halix, but I have no idea. > I think the main difference between the U.K. and EUs approaches is that the U.K. were willing to accept some vaccines would fail and other succeed but were willing to accept the loses That doesn't seem to be the case. Both have reasonably diversified sources and have bought much more than needed (at the end of 2020, 246% EU & 419% UK according to https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/12/03/942303736/how-rich-countries-are-hoarding-the-worlds-vaccines-in-charts https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/12/03/9423037...). Both (currently) rely on the same vaccines (AZ, moderna, BT & J&J), with the uk having ordered primarily AZ, Valneva, Sanofi, Novavax & Curevac vaccines and of the vaccines currently used, the EU has bought more per capita (current data, BT was probably less), except AZ. So it seems (at least in hindsight) that the uk was lucky AZ worked out, otherwise the doses of the currently used vaccines wouldn't have been enough (barely, approx 58 Million people fully vaccinated), while the EU has more than enough doses (630 Million people fully vaccinated) [2]. (of course, that would have been sufficient for vaccinating everyone that wants to & is able to in the uk). The spread seems to have been wide enough in both countries. I can't find anything resembling a delivery schedule or doses delivered for the UK, but I assume, based on ~90 Million doses given out in the UK, of which at most 31 Millionen doses were BT (assuming all fully vaccinated people have BT and all remaining doses need to be used for a second vaccination), AZ has delivered more than 60% of the contracted doses, while that count currently stands at approx. 12% for the EU (germany currently has received 6.8 Million and they get a fifth). That's a huge difference. (I'm assuming the moderna doses given out in the uk are currently negligible) [1]: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/vaccine-tsar-says-eu-will-get-astrazeneca-doses-over-which-uk-made-claim-1.4532523 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/vaccine-tsar-sa... [2]: https://launchandscalefaster.org/covid-19/vaccineprocurement https://launchandscalefaster.org/covid-19/vaccineprocurement
blibble 6y ago
no doubt if the Commission loses the lawsuit it'll find some way to take it to the ECJ which will rule however it's told to (as usual)

by krona 6y ago

libertine 6y ago

From my understanding, they weren't entirely separate supply chains, since the contracts featured plants in the UK, just like the UK had plants in EU to fulfill their contract. You're saying yields weren't sufficient when some plants weren't even submitted for EMA approval until late March 2021, that's few weeks ago. And looks like it was submitted after the EU pressured them to, or let's say, when it came to light. Which was quite convenient because such vaccines wouldn't be subject to export controls. If they have no legal leg, why are they sueing? To show the world they lost a case lol... if they are suing they feel like they have a clear case.

danhor 6y ago

That is just not true: - The contract clearly states that AZ can produce outside the EU, the comission just has to agree. Since AZ tried to get doses from the US & India, it's very likely that wouldn't have been a problem. You can also see on Schedule A, that parts of the allowed sites for the initial doses for the EU were in the UK. - The Belgian plant is producing fully (contrary to what was claimed by the CEO, see https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-plant-blamed-for-astrazeneca-vaccine-shortage-says-it-met-all-deliveries/ https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-plant-blamed-for-ast...) - The Halix plant was only intended for use for the UK (see: https://www.politico.eu/article/after-failing-to-deliver-astrazeneca-rethinks-eu-coronavirus-vaccine-supply-chain/ https://www.politico.eu/article/after-failing-to-deliver-ast...) and it was later on decided to use it just for EU supply. Furthermore, the manufacturing agreement was only signed at the beginning of December (https://www.halix.nl/2020/12/08/halix-signs-agreement-astrazeneca-commercial-manufacture-covid-19-vaccine/ https://www.halix.nl/2020/12/08/halix-signs-agreement-astraz...) This just seems like AZ just ... didn't contract enough companies to even remotely archive the numbers they promised for Q1 (and now Q2). I don't know what their thinking was, but hopefully this lawsuit will be able to shed some light on that.

youngtaff 6y ago
The U.K. invested £21m into the Halix plant in April 2020 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/british-taxpayers-funded-eu-factory-at-heart-of-vaccine-row/ar-BB1fdzpE https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/british-taxpayers-fund... I think the main difference between the U.K. and EUs approaches is that the U.K. were willing to accept some vaccines would fail and other succeed but were willing to accept the loses Even AZ production in the U.K. is below what was expected
- danhor 6y ago
  The investment doesn't seem very clear-cut[1]: "[W]hen I went to visit the site and I asked how much they’re received from the British government, the chairman and the CEO were there and they told me ‘zero’.". It could be money just given to Oxford, to support Halix, but I have no idea. > I think the main difference between the U.K. and EUs approaches is that the U.K. were willing to accept some vaccines would fail and other succeed but were willing to accept the loses That doesn't seem to be the case. Both have reasonably diversified sources and have bought much more than needed (at the end of 2020, 246% EU & 419% UK according to https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/12/03/942303736/how-rich-countries-are-hoarding-the-worlds-vaccines-in-charts https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/12/03/9423037...). Both (currently) rely on the same vaccines (AZ, moderna, BT & J&J), with the uk having ordered primarily AZ, Valneva, Sanofi, Novavax & Curevac vaccines and of the vaccines currently used, the EU has bought more per capita (current data, BT was probably less), except AZ. So it seems (at least in hindsight) that the uk was lucky AZ worked out, otherwise the doses of the currently used vaccines wouldn't have been enough (barely, approx 58 Million people fully vaccinated), while the EU has more than enough doses (630 Million people fully vaccinated) [2]. (of course, that would have been sufficient for vaccinating everyone that wants to & is able to in the uk). The spread seems to have been wide enough in both countries. I can't find anything resembling a delivery schedule or doses delivered for the UK, but I assume, based on ~90 Million doses given out in the UK, of which at most 31 Millionen doses were BT (assuming all fully vaccinated people have BT and all remaining doses need to be used for a second vaccination), AZ has delivered more than 60% of the contracted doses, while that count currently stands at approx. 12% for the EU (germany currently has received 6.8 Million and they get a fifth). That's a huge difference. (I'm assuming the moderna doses given out in the uk are currently negligible) [1]: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/vaccine-tsar-says-eu-will-get-astrazeneca-doses-over-which-uk-made-claim-1.4532523 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/vaccine-tsar-sa... [2]: https://launchandscalefaster.org/covid-19/vaccineprocurement https://launchandscalefaster.org/covid-19/vaccineprocurement

blibble 6y ago

no doubt if the Commission loses the lawsuit it'll find some way to take it to the ECJ which will rule however it's told to (as usual)