Withdrawal of the marketing authorisation for AstraZeneca’s vaccine
27.8.2024
Question for written answer E-001557/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Virginie Joron (PfE)
According to Le Monde, AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday, 8 May 2024 that it was taking its COVID-19 vaccine (Vaxzevria) ‒ one of the first on the market during the pandemic ‒ off the market due to a vaccine surplus and declining demand[1].
In fact, as of 27 March 2024, the Commission had already withdrawn Vaxzevria’s marketing authorisation (MA) in the European Union[2].
Vaxzevria had been granted conditional marketing authorisation in the EU on 29 January 2021 to prevent COVID-19 in people over the age of 18. This conditional MA was switched to a standard MA, valid for 5 years, on 31 October 2022[3].
In 2023, AstraZeneca reportedly delivered 5.2 million vaccine doses to Member States, while Pfizer delivered 14.4 million doses and Sanofi-GSK delivered 13.9 million doses[4].
- 1.What is the practical impact of the withdrawal of the MA for AstraZeneca’s vaccine in relation to the contracts it signed with the Commission during the pandemic (number of deliveries cancelled, doses recalled, etc.)?
- 2.Could delayed withdrawal of the MA for AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine have had an impact on the company’s liability and compensation for those suffering side effects?
Submitted: 27.8.2024
- [1] https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2024/05/08/astrazeneca-retire-de-la-vente-son-vaccin-contre-le-covid-19-pour-raisons-commerciales_6232168_3244.html
- [2] https://ec.europa.eu/health/documents/community-register/2024/20240327162288/dec_162288_en.pdf
- [3] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/public-statement/public-statement-vaxzevria-previously-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca_en.pdf
- [4] https://vaccinetracker.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/vaccine-tracker.html#distribution-tab (last updated on 5 October 2023).