The European Union remains at loggerheads with AstraZeneca PLC after the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker refused to cave to demands that it take vaccine supplies from its U.K. factories to increase doses going to the bloc.
The root of the dispute is Astra’s decision to prioritize the U.K. over the EU following a Belgian production glitch, in what Brussels claims to be a breach of contractual commitments. The two sides spoke Wednesday evening and held their ground with another meeting expected.
"We regret the continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved for the first quarter,” EU health chief Stella Kyriakides said after a virtual meeting with Astra’s chief executive.