Mario Draghi’s government has ordered the ban on exports of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine vials. The decision was made in agreement with the European Commission and comes as a reaction to the pharmaceutical company’s supply cuts.
Vaccines, Italy blocks the export of AstraZeneca doses: the decision
In Italy, in the Anagni plant, in the province of Frosinone, the doses of the product developed by the University of Oxford and the Anglo-Swedish multinational are filled. This is why our country was able to block theexport of 250,000 vaccines, expected to be delivered across the globe, to Australia.
The decision was officially transmitted last Friday from Rome to Brussels and the EU did not obstruct, also because the seized lot will now be redistributed among others Countries members. The provision complies with the provisions established by Export control mechanism approved by the European Commission on January 30th. Despite the legitimacy of the choice and the repeated delays in vaccine deliveries by the various companies, it is the first time that this clause has been activated by a member state.
The reason is due precisely to the non-compliance with the terms of the contract that Italy, but also the Commission, ascribes to AstraZeneca.
Vaccines, Italy blocks the export of AstraZeneca doses: the mechanism
The export mechanism was introduced precisely to prevent doses of vaccine produced on European soil and planned for EU countries from being shipped out of the continent to be sold to other nations.
A precautionary measure decided as a remedy for the cuts, up to 70%, announced by the CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, on deliveries to Europe in the first quarter of the year. And after the clash with Ursula von der Leyen, who contested the technicalities of the contract that were unduly exploited, according to the EU, by the company.
If Pfizer and Moderna are returning to the quantities established in the contracts, AstraZeneca has also communicated for the second trimester a dose reduction by another 50%. This despite the fact that, according to experts, about one third of the ampoules produced in Europe would have been sold outside the Union.
In the last phone call between Mario Draghi and the president of the Commission, the Italian premier reiterated the concept expressed during his first European council, namely the need to to accelerate deliveries of vaccines forcing Big Pharma companies to honor their commitments including through drastic remedies such as an export stop.
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