The European Union announced plans to discuss a major contract extension for Pfizer-COVID-19 BioNTech's vaccine on Wednesday, in a stinging rebuke to pharma giant AstraZeneca, arguing that the 27-nation bloc had to go with companies, that had proven their worth during the pandemic. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said, "We need to concentrate on innovations that have proved their value." She also announced that Pfizer and BioNTech, both of the United States’, would send an additional 50 million dozes to the EU in the second quarter of this year to compensate for AstraZeneca's stalled deliveries. Pfizer-BioNTech, in contrast to the much-maligned Anglo-Swedish firm, "has proved to be a trustworthy partner," according to von der Leyen. It has kept its promises and responds quickly to our requirements. This will help EU people immediately," she added.
Denmark agreed on Wednesday, for not to resume use of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which was placed on hold last month, due to reports of unusual blood clots in some recipients, exacerbating AstraZeneca's problems. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have been provided to the majority of people in the Scandinavian country so far. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is based on the same technology as AstraZeneca, encountered a snag this week when the US regulators recommended a "pause" in its administration. The EU has put a stop to deliveries.
This year, AstraZeneca was expected to be the workhorse of the EU's vaccine campaign, a low-cost, easy-to-transport shot that would crack the pandemic's back. Yet, according to the EU, only 30 million of the 120 million doses promised in the first quarter were delivered, and only 70 million of the 180 million doses anticipated in the second quarter have been delivered. The EU has been placed under immense pressure as a result of this deficit because, despite being a major manufacturer and exporter of vaccines, it is unable to match the rate of vaccination in the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the website ‘Our World in Data’, 47.5 percent of people in the United Kingdom have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 36.6 percent in the United States and 16.4 percent in the European Union.
Pfizer-BioNTech may now be the secret to stopping the pandemic from spreading across Africa. Pfizer-BioNTech has already committed to supplying 200 million doses to the bloc this year. Due to supply delays and concerns about rare blood clots possibly linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the 50 million additional deliveries will be particularly welcomed by EU countries. The EU will begin negotiations to purchase 1.8 billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through 2023, according to Von der Leyen. "Not only will the vaccine development be centred in the EU, but all vital components will be as well," von der Leyen said. The European Commission currently has a portfolio of 2.3 billion doses from a half-dozen firms, and is in the process of negotiating new deals.
Von der Leyen demonstrated complete trust in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine's technology, which differs from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine's technology. The active ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is messenger RNA, or mRNA, which contains the instructions for human cells to construct a harmless coronavirus piece known as the spike protein. The spike protein is recognised as foreign by the human immune system, which allows it to mount a defence against the virus until it is infected. Astra Zeneca's uses a cold virus to infect the body with the spike protein gene. It's a unique manufacturing process in which the cold virus is grown in living cells in massive bioreactors before being extracted and purified.
According to Von der Leyen, Europe needs technology that can improve immunity, combat new variants, and mass-produce vaccines. She cited mRNA vaccines as an example. What the EU will do with any new contracts with AstraZeneca was left in the middle of the proposed Pfizer negotiations. "It's possible that other contracts with other companies will follow," von der Leyen said.