EU publishes AstraZeneca vaccine contract as battle over supplies heats up

LONDON — The European Union on Friday published a redacted version of the contract signed with AstraZeneca, as the bloc piles pressure on the drugmaker to deliver the Covid vaccine supplies it promised.

The EU, which has been criticized for its slow rollout of inoculations, was delivered a blow by AstraZeneca last week when the company said it would only be able to deliver a fraction of the shots agreed upon for the first quarter.

AstraZeneca has denied that it has failed to honor its commitments, saying delivery figures to the 27-nation bloc were targets rather than promises. The company also cited production problems at its European plants for the delays.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to make a decision on whether to actually approve the AstraZeneca vaccine for use on Friday.

Speaking to German radio on Friday morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “There are binding orders and the contract is crystal clear.”

“AstraZeneca has also explicitly assured us in this contract that no other obligations would prevent the contract from being fulfilled,” she said, according to Reuters.

The head of the EU’s executive arm claimed the agreement contained clear delivery amounts for December and the first three quarters of 2021.

AstraZeneca was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC on Friday.

One unnamed senior EU official told Reuters that the bloc expected about 80 million doses by March, but had been told it would receive only 31 million doses instead. The company has not confirmed the quantities involved.

A deepening dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca has raised concerns about international competition for limited vaccine supplies. It is hoped the inoculations could help to bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.