Belgian authorities raided the local plant of AstraZeneca, where vaccines against coronavirus are made. The incident took place on Wednesday, January 27, reports The Telegraph.
It is reported that the raid was carried out at the request of the European Commission and is associated with delays in the supply of vaccine. The main component of the drug is produced at a plant in Belgium. Previously, the pharmaceutical giant blamed the backlog on problems with its manufacture. The EU authorities expect to check whether the company’s assurances are not false. Verification results are expected within a few days.
The publication notes that the European Union suspects that AstraZeneca may have sold the vaccine reserves reserved for the EU to other countries. In particular, Brussels fears that the company could transfer the drug to the UK, which paid more for it. Thus, the plant raid is seen as another example of increased pressure on the vaccine manufacturer.
Earlier, the head of AstraZeneca, Pascal Sorio, admitted the delay in the delivery of the coronavirus vaccine. He promised that the company will be able to supply a “reasonable number of doses” of the drug to the European Union in February.