The European Commission has been saying it over and over again for a few days now: the vaccination campaign in the European Union is accelerating. On Friday 23 April, its President, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was even “confident” that the EU would have enough doses available to vaccinate 70% of its adult population against Covid-19 within the next three months. The original target date of September has therefore been brought forward to July.
Ms von der Leyen was speaking after a visit to Pfizer’s production site in Puurs, Belgium, which, according to the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla, is expected to produce, by May, “more than 100 million doses per month” of the vaccine developed with BioNTech.
The site in question obtained permission from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Friday to increase its production capacity by a further 20%. “This will make it one of the biggest vaccine fill and finish sites in Europe”, Ms von der Leyen said.
Pfizer/BioNTech flawless
Relations between the European institution and the US-German duo are at a high level (see EUROPE 12701/9).
The third contract under negotiation with Pfizer/BioNTech - for the delivery of 1.8 billion doses by 2023 (see EUROPE 12698/1) - will thus be “concluded in the coming days”, said Ms von der Leyen. These doses, she stressed, should be used to vaccinate children and adolescents.
“Yes, we had difficulties at the very beginning, but we have been able to counter them due to our broad vaccine portfolio and also thanks to strong and reliable partners like Pfizer/BioNTech”, she assured.
This point was echoed by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who was present during the visit and welcomed the fact that he was able to work with partners who stick to their deadlines.
Finally, in addition to the leading role played by Pfizer/BioNTech in accelerating the vaccination campaign, the importance of messenger RNA technology was also highlighted.
“mRNA vaccines will be a central part of the EU’s preparedness against coronavirus and other pandemics”, the President reiterated (see EUROPE 12703/17).
AstraZeneca vaccine still supported by the EMA
These are all boxes that AstraZeneca and its vaccine Vaxzevria do not tick. First of all, with regard to delivery times, the hypothesis that the Commission would initiate legal proceedings against the manufacturer on this point (see EUROPE 12704/1) could become a reality, and now with the support of almost all Member States, according to Politico.
A meeting of the EU steering board for the bulk purchase of Covid-19 vaccines was held on Friday, a Commission spokesperson confirmed. However, Ursula von der Leyen said in the afternoon that no decision had yet to be taken.
Secondly, regarding the administration of Vaxzevria, the EMA issued new analyses on Friday, “support national authorities making decisions on how to best use the vaccine in their territories”.
Conclusions: “The graphics show more cases [of blood clots with low platelets] in the youngest age group than in the oldest. And the other striking observation is the increase in benefits as you move up in the age groups”, summarised the head of the working group on methods and data analysis, Peter Arlett.
On gender-based risks and benefits, as there is still insufficient data available in the EU, assessments will continue.
These more serious, but “very rare”, side effects would occur in one in 100,000 vaccinated people, the EMA said, noting that the benefit/risk ratio of the AstraZeneca vaccine remains positive in any scenario.
The European Agency further recommended that a second dose of Vaxzevria should continue to be administered between 4 and 12 weeks after the first dose. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)