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Australia blames EU supply issues for slow vaccine rollout

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Antiquesaving

It now not only has enough for it's citizens but is now vaccinating citizens of it neighbouring countries that are also having their Vaccine deliveries blocked by the EU.

Really? By April 6 there have been 491 vaccine export requests and out of those only a single one for an export to Australia of 250,000 doses has been rejected while another seven requests are currently under review.

The EU has exported around 77 million doses to 33 countries while 88 million doses were supplied for the use in the EU. Sure doesn't sound like they are blocking any deliveries left and right now, does it?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia-vaccines/exclusive-eu-denies-blocking-3-1-million-astrazeneca-shots-to-australia-idUSKBN2BT0C4

A Commission spokeswoman said the bloc had rejected only one of 491 COVID-19 vaccine export requests since it enhanced export transparency in late January, but added that seven requests were currently being reviewed - and therefore shipments were on hold until a decision was made.

She declined to say whether a new shipment to Australia was among those being reviewed. But an EU official said there was no request for export to Australia under review.

The only rejected request out of nearly 500 received has been so far a shipment of 250,000 doses to Australia in March. From Jan 30 to March 24, the EU exported 1 million doses to Australia, the Commission said in a press release.

The EU has repeatedly said that AstraZeneca may not be allowed to export from the EU until it fulfils its contractual obligations towards the bloc, a position that has led the company to refrain from submitting some export requests.

Sure, AstraZeneca is likely not submitting any export requests but there is a reason why that request was rejected. In their asset purchase agreement with the EU you can find the following part under Section 13.1(e):

it is not under any obligation, contractual or otherwise, to any Person or third party in respect of the Initial Europe Doses or that conflicts with or is inconsistent in any material respect with the terms of this Agreement or that would impede the complete fulfillment of its obligations under this Agreement;

I'd not be surprised if this ends up in some court. The EU and AstraZeneca both agreed expressly that the Britain's manufacturing sites are also considered as “manufacturing sites located within the EU”. Remember the 77 million doses that have left the EU? About 20 million made their way to Britain while none came the other way. Considering that the sites in Britain are covered by the APA to meet their obligations towards the EU, you would think that at least some would have been shipped to some member in the EU. Since they are not fulfilling their contractual obligations, it is hardly surprising that the EU rejected that one export request.

In my opinion AstraZeneca screwed up by overpromising and underdelivering. They stated in the APA that there are no obligations to others that would impact the order of the EU. By not using their sites in Britain to meet its best reasonable efforts supply obligation towards the EU there is actually a potential breach of obligations to use reasonable best efforts. It does not matter that they also have other obligations and even the president of the Law Society stated that any agreement with the UK (but that should also apply to any other place) are irrelevant to the agreement with the EU if there is no such term in the APA and obviously there doesn't seem to be one. I don't know what the agreement with Britain looks like but by actually meeting their obligations to the EU and coming short of their obligations to Britain, they'd probably be in breach of the British contract.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

AntiquesavingToday  06:52 pm JST

But this wasn't supposed to be about the money, right? It's all about "humanitarianism."

Did I mention there's a bridge for sale across Sydney Harbor? PM me if you're interested

Then the right jump up and down get their knickers in a twist when governments intervene, goes about mandating local production, imposing price controls and nationalisese certain essential industries.

Just to be clear, I was basically agreeing with you.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why are we so lost against this pandemic? Because none is interested in making vaccines for that. 

Actually the investment is often provided by governments, as was the case with AZ.

BioNtech was funded by the German government, Saudi Arabian and others to do their research in MERS and SARS1 then they patented the technology they found through that research. The same technology was found to be the same for SARS2 so they "partnered with Pfizer and that is how Pfizer was able to create a vaccine so quickly. The same applies to the others.

So in reality nearly all these Vaccines benefitted from tax money from some place and these companies profit from it.

The people here keep going on that the EU funded AZ but that is not factual, UK, Canada, Australia, Serbia, Japan, South Korea, etc .. all supplied funding but the EU somehow thinks it has the right to control.

The UK was first to actually sign a purchasing deal with AZ and Australia was the second, the EU held off another month before making it's decision so it is does not have any more right to the vaccine than others.

What this shows us is that the only way to protect our own country's people is through protectionism of certain industries like medical and to ignore patents and intellectual property rights when needed to deal with national emergencies like we have now.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

EU is as well facing supply issues and building a vaccine production facility takes a lot of time, competencies to build and run and is expensive, while this pandemic may last for years or end soon. Not sure AU is willing/able to do it.

Why are we so lost against this pandemic? Because none is interested in making vaccines for that. The investment is huge with no guarantee of return. Only a common global founded reserach organization can work on unknown future pathogens with organized production (including private) and distribution.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Neil Macey

I already explained the problems as to why it is not possible for most countries to develop their own Vaccines.

I also explained why even if a country has the facilities, these big pharma companies with the Vaccines are not letting others produce them or are unwilling to let go of their power.

Most of these companies benefit from massive government funding, huge research grants, for everything from cancer to the common cold.

But suddenly once they develop something, well then that drug, Vaccine, technology is theirs and theirs only.

They can and do hold people hostage by telling them if you want to live you will pay whatever we say.

Just Pfizer after all expenses has a net income of nearly $9 Billion that's with a B!

Every time someone donates to some medical research like cancer the pharmaceutical companies get a good part of that then charge maximum profit to sell you the drug they developed using the donation money you or other gave.

Great scam, wish I could find one a legal and profitable.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

OK Tell us how?

@antiquesaving

Or you tell us how?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The US will, in a few months, be in a position to be the vaccination supplier to the world. It is good to see we did something right for a change, after the last four years of disasters.

You mean like violate your free trade agreement again with Canada by blocking Vaccine it ordered before the USA made any orders.

You mean that right thing?

I wish Canadian politicians had had the guts to also break their agreements and shut off the electricity it sends to the USA.

It would have been nice to watch all those northern states getting our cheap electricity scramble over eachother to find more power in mid winter, if

0 ( +1 / -1 )

But this wasn't supposed to be about the money, right? It's all about "humanitarianism."

Did I mention there's a bridge for sale across Sydney Harbor? PM me if you're interested

Then the right jump up and down get their knickers in a twist when governments intervene, goes about mandating local production, imposing price controls and nationalisese certain essential industries.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The US will, in a few months, be in a position to be the vaccination supplier to the world. It is good to see we did something right for a change, after the last four years of disasters.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

AZ has already made deals with Australia, Japan, South Korea and others, but is limiting the amount produced because it makes more selling it's own production.

The AZ vaccine is so cheap because it is sold at cost price. No profit.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

AZ has already made deals with Australia, Japan, South Korea and others, but is limiting the amount produced because it makes more selling it's own production.

But this wasn't supposed to be about the money, right? It's all about "humanitarianism."

Did I mention there's a bridge for sale across Sydney Harbor? PM me if you're interested.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Melbourne, which Morrison was touting as a fait accompli weeks ago. Why they're not pumping that out yet I don't know

Another catch 22 situation.

AZ gave licensing but the needed ingredients are not available in Australia, this is the same as in Canada.

So again it is the USA, EU and UK that have near monopoly on the needed ingredients,

AZ: here is the method and licensing, now are job is done you make your own.

Australia: But wait, we don't have this, that and that and that!

AZ: Oh.... You don't? Oh that's to bad, we can sell you those but seeing other factories ( our own UK and EU ones) contracted before you, it will be a long time before you get any.

I am guessing the conversation went something like that.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Build factories to produce vaccines under licence 

Pfizer has refused, Moderna is asking the same cost per dose produced under license without any cost to them.

AZ has already made deals with Australia, Japan, South Korea and others, but is limiting the amount produced because it makes more selling it's own production.

And most countries don't have Vaccine production facilities mostly because the big pharma pulled out to produce in places that are lower taxed and lower paid.

Canada no longer has any actual facilities because that pharma companies moved all production to the USA for lower taxes and no real employees benefits, pension, etc.. mandatory like in Canada.

Free trade agreements were supposed to do the job but as we can see the USA broke that deal within months of the signing.

Much of Non EU Europe is the same even full partners to the EU market have found their Vaccine blocked despite many years of assurances that in such a situation it would never happen.

Free trade is a joke, free market is a joke.

Many countries are now going to reassess things, force local production of more especial things like meds, food, etc...

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Sinovax or Sputnik is an option too.

Not until they're submitted by the companies for approval and approved

Particularly the Chinese vaccines since they haven't published their final reports yet in peer-reviewed journals

2 ( +2 / -0 )

OK Tell us how?

Build factories to produce vaccines under licence ... that's the plan of EU after AztraZeneca failed to deliver the volumes promised.

There's no pharma factory in Australia ?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Dear EU, UK, USA, Pfizer, BioNtech, AZ, Moderna.

If you cannot supply what you promised, then the rest of the countries should have the right to take your Vaccine technolog, production system, assets, etc..

And use it all without compensation to any of you,

Pfizer made contracts, AZ made contracts, Moderna made contracts. EU, UK, USA blocked much if not most that isn't our problem.

Can't life up to your contract they we should just take it and make it.

EU UK USA blocking so select assets of those places and use them to pay for it all.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

EU always talk about human rights but unfortunately now only thinking about EU rights...

Is this the real face of EU?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Make your own vaccine then.

Childish statement - Pleased someone stepped in to explain why not.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Dear Australians,

you might read the news and see the EU countries are also having issues with slow rates due to a lack of available vaccines. Be glad you are getting any at all, if the EU was selfish by looking after their own citizens first there would be zero exports at all.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

But since then, a wider debate across Europe on whether to export vaccines when EU countries are struggling to contain the virus has further held up supplies.

Europe would be foolish to export to Australia, in the current situation, and I'm sure most Australians understand.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Make your own vaccine then.

OK Tell us how?

The reason Japan and South Korea failed is because they respect intellectual property rights.

These big pharma companies cornered the technology needed to make these types of Vaccines.

Some have even tried parenting the human genome.

It has gotten ridiculous,

There are only so many pathways to making a working Vaccine and if the base technology is not available then it is not possible Pfizer had to make a deal with BioNtech as they own the base technology and will not let anyone else use it.

The same goes for the rest.

This is not a new car design or power drive system.

This is life and death and no company should be able to control and decide what it can be used for.

Take the vaccine production and give any company capable of making it the right to do so free of royalties and we will have all the supply needed

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Vaccine hostaging...new term for the next dictionary additions.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Sinovax or Sputnik is an option too.

And the EU blocking is why Serbia went to China, Russia and India.

It now not only has enough for it's citizens but is now vaccinating citizens of it neighbouring countries that are also having their Vaccine deliveries blocked by the EU.

Time for the rest of the world to pull the India/Brazil HIV medication move.

Order the companies to either supply or give royalties free permission to any company capable to start production of any Vaccine they can or want.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Ready to roll your sleeve up for them dido?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Sinovax is one of the vaccines used by Chile, yet it’s rates are soaring and is back in lockdown.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Sinovax or Sputnik is an option too.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

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