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**Hugh** · 22-03-2021, 13:19

Interesting thread (imho) on the history of this debacle

https://twitter.com/DaveKeating/stat...577761803?s=20

Quote:

Dave Keating @DaveKeating

I keep seeing the line 'EU is having vaccine problems because it was too slow in negotiating contracts' repeated in Flag of United Kingdom&Flag of United States media.

I want to push back on this narrative because I think it's missing where real EU-level mistakes lie. Let's review what happened in past year

AstraZeneca signed purchasing agreement with EU one day before its agreement with UK.

AZ CEO told an EP hearing last month that UK priority comes from research funding agreement Oxford signed with UK gov in Jan/Feb 2020, inherited by AZ when it partnered with Oxford in May 2020.

United Kingdom was smart to start funding vax research before #Covid19 even hit Europe. But they made a consequential choice by (apparently) making funding conditional to Brits getting doses of any resulting vaccine 1st.

Germany funded BioNTech but did not include any Europe 1st clause.

Meanwhile in March 2020, President Trump tried unsuccessfully to steal BioNTech from Germany to bring it to the US.

Despite this warning, apparently nobody in EU thought it might be a bad idea for BioNTech to be partnered with Pfizer, an American company.

Germany confirms that Trump tried to buy firm working on coronavirus vaccine
CureVac boss was at the White House last week to discuss its vaccines plans.

German nationality-agnostic approach to pharma partners was not the approach used across the channel in the United Kingdom.

Oxford was originally going to partner with American company Merck. But the UK gov overruled it and made them partner with UK-based AstraZeneca

United Kingdom concern over United States vaccine nationalism turned out to be well-founded.

With BioNTech-Pfizer partnership secure, Trump seemed to be in no hurry to sign Pfizer purchase contracts.

Why? He knew a US vaccine export ban would make a contract unnecessary.

Ex-FDA chief confirms administration turned down offer to reserve additional doses of vaccine, set to be first approved for US use

Pfizer has massive production capacity in the US. If US law prevented any of those doses made on US soil from being exported, they would have to go to the US in any event.

The result can be seen in the supply chain. United States plants used to supply United States, European Union plants used to supply Europe & Africa

Sure enough, Trump signed an executive order in December 2020 giving Americans 1st priority to any vaccines made on US territory.

In fact it was largely symbolic. Trump & Biden have instead used the Defence Production Act as the legal basis for their ban.

Also in December 2020, the UK & US used the emergency use authorisation method to approve Pfizer, while the EU used the more cautious conditional marketing approval method, resulting in EU approving 2-3 weeks later.

UK gave emergency use approval to AstraZeneca on 30 December.

When the European Union gave conditional marketing approval to AstraZeneca on 29 Jan, the company informed EU it would not be meeting original dosage delivery promise because of production problems in EU plant. Seems doses to be reserved for the European Union had gone to the United Kingdom

The battle between EU & AZ began

The Commission said AZ signed a contract saying it would use all 4 of its production facilities, 2 in UK and 2 in EU, to deliver to EU - so the shortfall should be made up with exports from the UK.

AZ's CEO said they couldn't because of a 'UK 1st' clause.

Pascal Soriot: "There are a lot of emotions on vaccines in EU. But it's complicated"
An exclusive interview with AstraZeneca's CEO on the accusations from Europe after the delay of Oxford vaccine supplies, some revealing details of the vacc…

That battle has raged on without resolution. AZ will only deliver 30m out of promised 80m for Q1 and 70m of promised 180m in Q2, EC says.

Meanwhile EU has exported 10m (mostly Pfizer) doses to UK, while 'UK 1st' clause stops AZ from meeting EU delivery promise from UK plants.

Across the pond, the US export ban has meant Canada, Mexico, & Japan have to get their Pfizer doses from EU plants instead. (European Union has exported 4.6m doses to Canada, 3.8m to Mexico, 4m to Japan)

Situation particularly absurd for Canada, which must get its Pfizer from Belgium instead of next door in Michigan.