AstraZeneca, EU both claim a win in vaccine delivery tussle

Brussels: A Belgian court ruled Friday that coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca had committed a "serious breach” of its contract with the European Union amid a major legal battle over delivery obligations that has tarnished the company’s image.

The court ordered AstraZeneca to deliver a total of 80.2 million doses to the EU from the time the contract was agreed up until Sept. 27. The ruling said the company did not appear to have made a "best reasonable effort” to meet the delivery schedule because it had not used its U.K. production sites. But the Anglo-Swedish company claimed victory, saying that this was far fewer than the 120 million doses that the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, was seeking in total by the end of June. It also welcomed the court’s acknowledgement that it was under unprecedented pressure.