I guess the reason I take exception with the EUs position is that development of the vaccine and delivery are both interlinked. What AZ have done is amazing. It’s amazing at several levels.
We talk about development of vaccine. But there is huge mounts of unsexy R&D transferring something produced in a lab, to a product producing millions upon millions a week.
Growing the cell line to its optimum, ensuring the cell line produces enough of vaccine component, purifying it from the other rubbish so it’s pure. Doing it all at an industrial level. The equipment, logistics is huge.
Place it into context of inability of UK to supply basic plastic aprons or face masks.
Pharma has done an amazing job. Building the factories, developing technology, developing the logistics. 12 months ago many people said it could not be done. Today you have them still delivering 31M doses in Q1 to the EU. When the EU is still yet to approve its use !
For me the EUs position is absurd.
From a humanitarian level, the UK is worst in the world for deaths. It is most prominent region for potentially more virulent and deadly strain.
It has approved its use there makes sense to prioritise from a logistics perspective.Add Brexit to the perspective imagine the logistics of shipping 50M temperature and time sensitive vaccines (as the EU wants) when we can’t even ship fish.
That’s before you get into contract law.
For me it’s politicans Sabre rattling.
I suspect what Boris actually said was “Get us out of a hole”
It’s shit like this which makes me think that Maugham is a cunt.
I don’t know why people in Britain are getting in a huff about this. The EU thought they had a binding contract, which seems to be a fair assessment. It’s the company that have fucked up, by agreeing to two contracts when they could not supply both.
The EU is fighting to protect the interests of its member states (of which we are no longer one) which is odd, because for years we were told by the slobbering hoards of Brexit gammons, that this is exactly what they continually failed to do. But hey ho.
I don’t think it suits anyone for anyone to be acting to be acting the prick. This nation v nation bullshit should have been consigned to the dustbin in the 20th century, and if either us or the EU dig their heels in and demand their full share and fuck the other side, that does not bode well for the future of the relationship between us.
The obvious way to resolve it is for both contracts to be adjusted so both parties get a proportion of what they ordered, and it’s fair to both parties. That’s what grown ups would do, but it seems that, at least in Britain, the intention is to dig in, turn this into an ‘up yours Delors’ thing, and to chalk it up as a Brexit win.
Holgate hestermeyer (if I’ve got his name right) is someone I’ve been following on twitter for a while as he talks a lot on trade. He said that people should be wary of assuming the CureVac contract will be the same as the company is more akin to the role played by Oxford than Astra Zeneca, (much smaller organisation, etc).
It was in this thread.
Imo we all have a common enemy and that’s this fucking virus. This whole saga is so annoying. Why is it not possible to see that everyone here only wants the best for the many people for whom they are responsible? This is not a Brexit thing, not a war, not a political saber rattle, etc.
It’s about human lifes.
It’s not like the UK hasn’t been getting loads of vaccines produced in the EU as well.
Based on what? Your intuition?
OK, so what’s to stop the UK now placing a further order with AZ for 10 billion doses. Still think that the EU order should then be adjusted? What about the investment into the Covax scheme - should that then be diluted?
So the AZ APA even more likely to be in terms favourable to AZ?
To recieve more than 39% of what they ordered, just at a guess!
Yes it should be about human lives.
But EU is being unreasonable. The vaccine is an incredible human achievement, with AZ developing it at no charge. They should be applauded.
The EU is threatening to prevent export of any vaccine from Europe.
It is threatening to sue company that is selling its vaccine for no profit. The one developed to help poor countries. It is demanding supply is diverted to them.
This is while the EU has half a dozen contracts with other vaccine suppliers. (That’s one reason relative share does not work)
The EU is using protectionism no different to the US. They should both be criticised.
What in your opinion is that position?
It was always a huge risk what could be delivered.
I doubt a single vaccine supplier will deliver anything like what is promised in time frames.
My take is that it’s deflection. Absolve responsibility for second wave by blaming pharma. See the Netherlands to see civil unrest as an example.
Even though I support the EU, it does have protectionist elements. So I hope it is not this. As it would be unethical to use a contract dispute with one pharma company to ban exports of other vaccines to other nations.
Second wave started long before any vaccine was approved anywhere. In the UK as well if I’m not mistaken.
I can not see this as the second wave started a while back. The public won’t see it like that at all.
Not sure about it being unethical however that won’t be my point. My point will be that a ban isn’t even in the pipeline the talk is of control.
My position would be that any company involved namely Astra Zeneca just don’t get any contracts in europe for anything unless they do better. That financial hit should do the trick. i.e just ban Astra Zeneca.