EU and AstraZeneca battle in court over vaccine delays

AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. (Reuters)

The European Union accused AstraZeneca of a ‘flagrant violation’ of its contract to rapidly build-up coronavirus production capacity in the bloc, as it began legal action against the drugs giant Wednesday.  The EU member states and their executive, the European Commission, brought the case before a court in Brussels, the union having signed its supply agreement with the British and Swedish firm under Belgian law. The EU is suing the group in a bid to force it to deliver 90 million more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine before July -- arguing that it failed in its contractual duty by handing over only a quarter of the doses it promised for the first quarter of 2021. The deadline for the contract was set for mid-June, according to the Commission, and the EU says the company will face financial penalties if it does not meet this deadline.