EU asks AstraZeneca to publish vaccine contract as supply row deepens
January 27, 2021, 11:28 am

EU asks AstraZeneca to publish vaccine contract as supply row deepens

A man wearing a protective mask stands next to boxes containing the vials of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine inside a cold room at the Serum Institute of India, Pune, India, 30 November 2020. (Reuters)

The European Union is asking AstraZeneca to publish the contract it signed with the bloc on COVID-19 vaccine supplies, an EU official said on Wednesday, in an escalation of the row over delivery delays.

The company pulled out of a meeting with the European Union scheduled for Wednesday, the official said.

In an interview with newspapers on Tuesday, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the EU contract was based on a best-effort clause and did not commit the company to a specific timetable for deliveries.

Vaccine rollouts in the European Union have been slow compared with countries in some other regions, especially former EU member Britain, and fraught with problems, not least interruptions to supply chains.

Soriot’s interview followed the company’s announcement of a cut in supplies to the EU in the first quarter, which an EU official told Reuters last week amounted to a 60 percent reduction to 31 million doses caused by production issues at a factory in Belgium.

The EU contract with AstraZeneca is an advance purchase agreement for the supply of at least 300 million doses provided that the vaccine is approved as safe and effective.

The EU official said on Wednesday that details revealed by Soriot on production capacity and best-effort clause were confidential.

The official added that the best-effort clause was standard in contracts with manufacturers of products that are in development.

“Best effort is a completely standard clause when you are signing a contract with a company for a product that does not yet exist,” the official said. “Obviously you cannot put a completely legal obligation” under these conditions.

The official said that best effort meant that the company had to show an “overall” effort to develop and deliver vaccines.

AstraZeneca said in a statement on Wednesday: “Each supply chain was developed with input and investment from specific countries or international organizations based on the supply agreements, including our agreement with the European Commission.

“As each supply chain has been set up to meet the needs of a specific agreement, the vaccine produced from any supply chain is dedicated to the relevant countries or regions and makes use of local manufacturing wherever possible.”

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

Levant

Unvaccinated UAE govt workers required to isolate must take annual leave: WAM FII conference to host speakers in ‘futuristic settings’ using new technology

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”