MILAN, Feb 25 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca will deliver
180 million COVID-19 vaccines to Europe in the second quarter,
of which 20 million to Italy, the head of its Italian unit was
quoted as saying on Thursday, dismissing reports of a possible
shortfall.
Lorenzo Wittum, the CEO and chairman of Astrazeneca in
Italy, told daily Il Corriere della Sera in an interview Italy
would receive more than 5 million shots by the end of March,
fewer than the 8 million previously agreed, leading to a total
of 25 million doses by June.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an EU official directly
involved in talks with the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker, that
AstraZeneca expected to deliver less than half the COVID-19
vaccines it was contracted to supply the European Union in the
second quarter.
Wittum also said the pharmaceutical company was considering
the possibility of administering a third dose and was working on
new versions of the vaccine.
(Reporting by Maria Pia Quaglia, editing by Agnieszka Flak)