MILAN (Reuters) – The European Commission has decided not to renew COVID-19 vaccine contracts with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) next year, Italian daily La Stampa reported Wednesday, citing a source from Italy’s ministry of Public health.
“The European Commission, in agreement with the leaders of many (EU) countries, has decided that the contracts with the companies producing (viral vector) vaccines valid for the current year will not be renewed when they expire,” the report said. newspaper. reported.
It added that Brussels would prefer to focus on COVID-19 vaccines that use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, such as those from Pfizer and Moderna.
A spokesman for the European Commission said it is keeping all options open to prepare for the next stages of the pandemic, for 2022 and beyond.
“However, we cannot comment on contractual issues,” the spokesperson added.
Later on Wednesday, the President of the European Commission said the EU was in talks with Pfizer and BionTech for a new contract for 1.8 billion doses, confirming a report from Reuters last week.
“We need to focus on proven technologies. mRNA vaccines are a clear example of this, ”she added.
The Italian Ministry of Health declined to comment.
The European Commission is asking J&J to clarify the company’s “completely unexpected” announcement of delays in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the EU, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday.