EU Commission launches legal action against AstraZeneca

The European Commission says it’s launched legal action against vaccine maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the EU

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission says it’s launched legal action against vaccine maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the EU. Spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker says “the Commission has started last Friday legal action against the company AstraZeneca on the basis of breaches of the advance purchase agreement.” He said Monday that the reason for the legal action was that “some terms of the contract have not been respected” and that “the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses.” AstraZeneca’s contract with the European Union foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among the 27 member countries, with option for a further 100 million.