Courtroom showdown: EU takes on AstraZeneca in vaccine row

The European Commission will try this week to persuade a Belgian court to order the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company to deliver millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccines to EU countries

BRUSSELS -- It’s crunch time for the European Commission in its legal battle with drugmaker AstraZeneca. At loggerheads for months with the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company it accuses of failing to deliver the promised number of COVID-19 vaccine doses, the European Union’s executive branch will try to persuade a Brussels court Wednesday that the case is urgent enough to justify ordering the company to make an immediate delivery of the missing shots. AstraZeneca’s contract signed with the Commission on behalf of EU member states foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among all 27 countries, with an option for a further 100 million. The doses were expected to be delivered throughout 2021. But only 30 million were sent during the first quarter. Deliveries have increased slightly since then but, according to the Commission, the company is set to provide only 70 million doses in the second quarter. It had promised 180 million.