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By Francesco Guarascio
LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca hopes to
settle a legal dispute with the European Union over COVID-19
vaccine deliveries in the coming weeks, a senior executive said
on Thursday, potentially ending a row that has dogged the
drugmaker and Brussels this year.
The company is in talks with the EU, Ruud Dobber, executive
vice president of the BioPharmaceuticals business, said in a
briefing.
"We're hopeful in the next few weeks we will have a
settlement," he said, without giving further details.
An EU Commission spokesperson was not immediately available
for comment.
Earlier this year Brussels filed two legal challenges
against AstraZeneca centred on the shortfall in vaccine
deliveries to the 27-nation bloc this year.
The drugmaker had committed to do its best to deliver 300
million doses by the end of June, but production delays led it
to revise this to 100 million vaccines.
Last month an EU court ruled that AstraZeneca had not met
its obligation to make a best reasonable effort to deliver the
shots and ordered it to deliver 80 million doses by the end of
September, which the company exceeded by end-June. It dismissed
the other claims.
A second proceeding seeks interim relief, documents, and
damages. A hearing for this matter is due in September.
Brussels has largely cut ties with AstraZeneca, choosing not
to buy any more of its vaccines for now.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Pushkala Aripaka; Additional
reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Writing by Josephine Mason;
Editing by Alex Richardson and Jan Harvey)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
