EU regulators have proposed requiring drug manufacturers to flag exports of coronavirus vaccines, a move that could disrupt delivery of the shot from Pfizer and BioNTech.
Photographer: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg
Photographer: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned the European Union against “protectionism” after the bloc’s regulators proposed drug manufacturers should flag exports of coronavirus vaccines.
EU action may be the delivery of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE shots, which are manufactured in Belgium. The AstraZeneca Plc vaccine is manufactured in the UK and licensed for production abroad.
The UK is leading Europe in coronavirus vaccinations, with 6.6 million people – about 10% of the UK population – getting a first dose from Sunday. Anger is growing in the EU about delays in the delivery of AstraZeneca, which is expected to deliver fewer images to the continent in the first quarter than previously anticipated.
“I am pleased to say that I am confident – after speaking with the chief executives of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca – that I am confident in the delivery of vaccines in the UK; I am sure this will not be disrupted, ”Hancock said in a webinar in London on Tuesday. “But I would really like to call on all international partners to collaborate and work closely together. And I think protectionism is not the right approach in the midst of a pandemic. “
At the event, hosted by research institute Chatham House, Hancock was asked several times about the UK’s international reputation after the country boomed in vaccine roll-out. The South African government has complained about “vaccine apartheid” and “rifts of inequality” in the deals drug companies have made with wealthier countries.
“As a UK health secretary, it is my duty to protect the British people,” he said, defending the UK government’s strategy.
London will push for the standardization of research methods in different countries so that disease data can be more easily shared, Hancock said. The UK, currently president of the G7 group of industrialized countries, also provides a way to assess Covid mutations abroad, in addition to funding aid for poorer countries as part of its international efforts, he said.
The UK aims to offer vaccines to around 15 million people in the top 4 priority groups by February 15. That includes nursing home residents, over-70s, and primary care health workers.
(Adds comments from Matt Hancock from the first paragraph)