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BRUSSELS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed to
pay about 870 million euros ($1.06 billion) for its supply of
300 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and
to receive them by June, the contract published on Friday by
Italy's RAI television shows.
The publication of the contract, signed on Aug. 27, 2020,
unveils confidential details about the price and the timetable
for deliveries agreed by AstraZeneca. The Anglo-Swedish company
revised down the timetable last month because of production
issues, leading to a bitter fight with the EU over delayed
supplies.
Under the confidential contract, only parts of which had
previously been disclosed, the EU has agreed to pay
approximately 2.9 euros ($3.5) per dose, in line with Reuters'
earlier reports of a price of about 2.5 euros.
The document, published by a team of RAI investigative
journalists, shows that AstraZeneca had committed to delivering
between 80 million and 120 million doses by the end of March and
the remaining 180 million shots by the end of June under an
estimated delivery schedule.
AstraZeneca, which developed the vaccine with Oxford
University, declined to comment.
The company last month cut its planned deliveries in the
first quarter of the year to 31 million, and later lifted it to
40 million after intense pressure from the EU.
EU officials had already been told by AstraZeneca in
December that only 80 million doses would be available by the
end of March, an EU document seen by Reuters shows.
The EU was then informed in late January of the new
reduction in supplies, the company and the EU said.
AstraZeneca began its deliveries to the EU in early February
after its vaccine was approved by the EU drugs regulator.
EU officials have said that under the contract the company
was required to manufacture vaccines even before regulatory
approval so that they could be made available immediately after
authorisation.
An estimated delivery schedule in the contract shows that 30
million doses were due in December and 40 million in January,
with "final delivery subject to agreement of delivery schedule
and regulatory approval," the contract says.
Under the timetable the company had committed to delivering
50 million doses in February and March.
In another section of the contract, the company committed to
use its "best reasonable efforts" to produce and deliver after
authorisation approximately 30 million to 40 million doses in
2020 and 80 million to 100 million in the first three months of
this year.
The contract shows that the vaccine should be produced for
the EU at four factories: one in Belgium, one in the Netherlands
and at Oxford Biomedica and Cobra Biologics plants in Britain.
($1 = 0.8245 euros)
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, additional
reporting by Nathan Allen and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Susan
Fenton)
