The EU Commission will conclude the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccination contracts on expiry – paper

MILAN (Reuters) – The EU commission has decided not to renew COVID-19 vaccine contracts next year with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Italian daily La Stampa reported on Wednesday, citing a source in the Italian Ministry of Health.

“The European Commission, in agreement with the leaders of many countries (EU), has decided that the contracts with the companies that produce vaccines (viral vector) that are valid for the current year will not be renewed upon their expiration,” the newspaper reported.

He added that Brussels would prefer to focus on COVID-19 vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, such as Pfizer and Moderna.

An EU Commission spokesman said it kept all options open to prepare for the next stages of the pandemic, for 2022 and beyond.

“However, we cannot comment on the contractual issues,” the spokesman added.

Later on Wednesday, the president of the European Commission said that the EU is in talks with Pfizer and BionTech for a new contract for 1.8 billion doses, confirming a Reuters report from last week.

“We need to focus on technologies that have proven their worth. MRNA vaccines are a clear case, “she added.

The Italian Ministry of Health declined to comment.

The European Commission is seeking clarification from J&J on the company’s “completely unexpected” announcement of delays in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine to the EU, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday.

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