EU and AstraZeneca

[DataPoint]

The UK government persuaded the Oxford team to work with AZ back at the start of the pandemic. AZ were going to go in with Merck (Who bailed out of their program this week) but were persuaded to switch with funding and they developed the current vaccine as one that was essentially developed in the UK.

Part of the deal was UK government investment in AZ covid reasearch. As a country, our scientific expertise in this field - sequencing the virus etc is second to none. Early sign up enabled the UK manufacturing sites scale up to trouble shoot issues early and resolve them. The UK supply of AZ vaccine had pretty much the same difficulties as the Belgium sites have now, except the UK ones are now over them and working at max capacity. The EU sites are now hitting the same scale up issues, and have to go through the same learning curve. Hence the delay to EU AZ vaccine access.

Aside of the fact that the EU have still not approved (until today) the AZ vaccine, they complain about their restricted access to something they have not approved the use of, and then the main player Germany says it should not be used in the most vulnerable over 65's!!

As a company, AZ find themselves developing a vaccine that they supply at cost price - no profit. Their people have been working on this stuff for months, night and day, 24/7, and have found a vaccine at record pace and delivered it to the world. As a company, they do not deserve the heavy handiness of EU authorities raiding their Belgium sites to check AZ position.

As for UK fast approval, last year within the Transition period, Mutual Recognition agreement still held. For many years the MHRA was seen as the leading Medicines Licensing Authority in the world. The MHRA has consistently approved medicines on behalf of Europe for many years. The EU could have continued with this and approved the AZ vaccine on the back of the MHRA approval 4 weeks ago. They chose not to.

The MHRA approved quickly, as under new UK emergency legislation, data from trials was delivered to the MHRA in almost real time, and was being assessed very quickly. In the EU, all data was delivered to them at the end of all the data collection - months later. Thats why the UK approved sooner. We were the leading Medicines regulator in the EU and under Mutual Recognition, approved nearly 50% of Europe's medicines until Brexit. It was why the European Medicines Authority (EMA) was based in London until Brexit.

And now, the EU are shutting the border in NI to prevent any EU produced vaccine getting into the UK!!! You couldn't make it up.

Legally, the EU have not got a leg to stand on.

Morally we would live with some friendly conversation and do a deal and give them some vaccine.

What a wonderfully constructed post - a thing of beauty! Just too good for this thread.

Respect from Lingfield to Lindfield.

 

[peterward]

That is a refreshing quote. The sooner we can all leave the (dead) debate about Brexit the better. We need to get on with things whether we like it or not. And we should all take care not to forget that if a couple of politicians in the EU are stirring things up, then they are pretty much like ours and the ordinary citizens are pretty much like us as well.

Of course they are. No place for xenophobia, we citizens are friends and neighbours. Really hope we can continue to work closely on many things and values we hold in common.

Would love to one day again have freedom of goods AND PEOPLE! But not if the price is control by the unelected commission , a superstate or being blocked from maximising UK potential by stifling trade deals with the rest of the world.

 

[ShandyH]

Really disheartening to see all this "vaccine nationalism" from our side (before Christmas) and let's face it a few powerful member states hiding behind the EU now.

We are still in a form of lockdown in this country if Spain and France aren't vaccinated. The whole of Europe isn't safe until Africa is sorted and I haven't even mentioned the USA.

What a load of rubbish. We planned for this from March and they didn’t. The government should look after our citizens first and then look wider. The Guardian is saying how poor the EU’s response has been.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...ow-the-uk-got-ahead-in-the-covid-vaccine-race


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[Billy the Fish]

Just read an interesting comment in the Telegraph.

If Trump had made the comments that Macron made about the vaccine there would currently be uproar.

IMHO Macron is an absolute snake, his behavior towards us over the last month has been diabolical.

 

[Falmer Wizard]

I understand that the government could, in extremis, ban the export of the vaccine to the EU anyway. However the refreshing attitude from the AstraZeneca CEO renders that step very unlikely.

Aren't we all glad that we are no longer part of the shambolic and incompetent EU?

Agree, in view of problems being placed on our businesses,i am checking through items i order from the EU and looking for alternatives, top of my list is wine

 

[The Wizard]

Just read an interesting comment in the Telegraph.

If Trump had made the comments that Macron made about the vaccine there would currently be uproar.

IMHO Macron is an absolute snake, his behavior towards us over the last month has been diabolical.

Macron is vile, the French people absolutely hate him.

This ‘vaccine war’ has really brung out the worst in some sides of the argument, why such anger over a vaccine that countless European members have conveniently now claimed doesn’t work?

I wouldn’t be surprised if AZ take some people to court for libel based on some of the inherently false statements that have been made.

 

[banjo]

Agree, in view of problems being placed on our businesses,i am checking through items i order from the EU and looking for alternatives, top of my list is wine

Thought that we are now producing some of the best wines, I’m sure I read it somewhere. Especially sparkling wines.

 

[The Wizard]

Thought that we are now producing some of the best wines, I’m sure I read it somewhere. Especially sparkling wines.

Ah yes, I know what you’re talking about the classic Liverpool born and bred Lambrini

 

[banjo]

Ah yes, I know what you’re talking about the classic Liverpool born and bred Lambrini

 

[surrey jim]

What a load of rubbish. We planned for this from March and they didn’t. The government should look after our citizens first and then look wider. The Guardian is saying how poor the EU’s response has been.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...ow-the-uk-got-ahead-in-the-covid-vaccine-race


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Interesting to see the U.K. invested more in vaccine than the EU (from linked guardian article):

The EU had spent just €1.78bn in “risk money”, cash handed to pharmaceutical companies without any guarantee of a return, compared to €1.9bn by the UK and €9bn by the US, he said. There were consequences.

 

[peterward]

Just read an interesting comment in the Telegraph.

If Trump had made the comments that Macron made about the vaccine there would currently be uproar.

IMHO Macron is an absolute snake, his behavior towards us over the last month has been diabolical.

Macron is very Trumpian in his outlook. France first.

Macron is just far more suave and intelligent.

 

[Norman Potting]

...Can I just pop into this thread and state that I am totally lost by all of this

 

[Hampster Gull]

...Can I just pop into this thread and state that I am totally lost by all of this

It’s easy, the eu have messed up on their vaccine program and are getting a bit petulant. Oh, and some leavers believe this justifies all the lies of the leave campaign

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

...Can I just pop into this thread and state that I am totally lost by all of this

What, the current level of agreement between most leavers and remainers? I agree, that is confusing!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

EU will be disappointed with that effort

 

[JC Footy Genius]

Macron is very Trumpian in his outlook. France first.

Macron is just far more suave and intelligent.

Spreading fibs about a vaccine in a country already sceptical about taking vaccines is appalling. I wonder if the social media companies have suspended his accounts ..

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[nicko31]

It’s easy, the eu have messed up on their vaccine program and are getting a bit petulant. Oh, and some leavers believe this justifies all the lies of the leave campaign

From sunny uplands to avoiding no deal catastrophe to finding something the EU screwed up

The bar for defining dividend has fallen alright.....

 

[vegster]

Bit of a daft post really. Sorry

It's ok, you made a mistake, don't worry.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Spreading fibs about a vaccine in a country already sceptical about taking vaccines is appalling. I wonder if the social media companies have suspended his accounts ..

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There's no scepticism, just paperwork that means it's more difficult to roll out in care homes there. I have relatives living over there and they and I have French friends if you're wondering the source.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Thought that we are now producing some of the best wines, I’m sure I read it somewhere. Especially sparkling wines.

Ridgeview in Burgess Hill (of all places! ) is respected across the world.
Kingscote is meant to be good as well