Has AstraZeneca failed the European Union?

The European Union is the biggest exporter of coronavirus vaccines in the world, yet within its borders, its inoculation campaigns have been disappointing.

The World Health Organization warns that could prolong the pandemic.

Major EU member states such as Germany, France and Italy are struggling to cope with another wave of infections, while vaccination drives continue to be hit by delivery delays.

Now, the European Commission is reportedly weighing legal action against vaccine maker AstraZeneca.

The British-Swedish firm was contracted last September to deliver 180 million doses to the EU by the second quarter of this year. But it has slashed its deliveries by two-thirds due to what it calls manufacturing issues and obligations to other buyers.

This was reportedly discussed among EU ambassadors on Wednesday, when most said they would support suing the pharmaceutical giant. But several countries, including Germany and France, raised concerns.

The European Commission spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

Will legal action work and how much of this is about politics?

Presenter: Peter Dobbie

Guests:

Simon Clarke – Head of division of biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering at the University of Reading

Rajib Dasgupta – Chairperson of the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health at Jawaharlal Nehru University

Jeff Lazarus – Head of health systems at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health