Pfizer warns EU to back down on threats to block vaccine exports to UK as essential ingredients are made in Yorkshire
PFIZER has urged the EU to back down on its threats to block vaccine exports to the UK as essential ingredients are made in Yorkshire.
The drugmaker warned that production could "grind to a halt" if Britain retaliates, sparking further jab chaos on the continent.
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Yorkshire-based chemicals firm Croda International has been delivering "fatty molecules" to Pfizer's EU factories since signing a five-year contract in November.
Pfizer, and its partner BioNTech, have told the EU that Britain can strike back against any export ban by withholding vital materials, reports.
The warning comes after EU Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen threatened to seize vaccines from Britain as she demanded Europe got a bigger share of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
In an interview with Germany's Funke media group she said: "We have the option of banning a planned export.
"That's the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries."
And earlier this week she said: "All options are on the table. We are in the crisis of the century and I’m not ruling out anything for now because we have to make sure Europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible."
Pfizer has said it is already facing a shortage of lipid nanoparticles - the specialised molecules used to coat its MRNA vaccine.
A senior source at the pharmaceutical company warned it was "heavily dependent" on supplies of these ingredients from the UK.
They said: "They [Pfizer/BioNTech] told the commission that if the UK shuts down the lipids then the whole process grinds to a halt in weeks."
A Pfizer spokesman added: "We have been clear with all stakeholders that the free movement of goods and supply across borders is absolutely critical to Pfizer and the patients we serve."
And BioNTech chief operating officer Sierk Poetting has previously warned that any export restrictions could endanger the supply and it could take up to eight months to boost production.
He said: "We need kilos and kilos and kilos of that stuff."
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is also reliant on components shipped from the US and Canada.
A spokesman for Croda International said: "We manufacture components within the UK that we ship to Pfizer facilities in multiple locations, including Belgium."
A Pfizer spokesman added: "We are working closely with governments around the world, including the UK Government and the European Commission, to ensure the supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in accordance with the agreed schedules."
The EU's shambolic jab rollout has been chaotic so far.
EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were criticised earlier this year for making baseless allegations about the efficacy of the AstraZeneca jab in older patients, which has fuelled a wave of anti-vax sentiment.
The bloc also sparked a diplomatic row with Britain after threatening to block exports of the jab in January amid a furious spat with Astrazeneca over the delivery of millions of doses.
More than a dozen EU nations halted use of the vaccine over unsubstantiated fears it may trigger blood clots.
Leaders later admitted it was a political decision.
But it damaged confidence in the AstraZeneca jab meaning uptake across Europe has been low.
A string of EU leaders were forced into an embarrassing U-turn after the ban - against the recommendation of the World Health Organization.
Within minutes of the EU regulator saying the jab was "safe and effective", Italy, France and Germany resumed the rollout.
'CRACKERS' FRANCE
But in another U-turn, France declared yesterday that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe - but only for those over the age of 55.
Sir John Bell told BBC Radio 4 today: "It doesn’t make any sense. The whole thing is crackers.
"They are changing the rules every week and damaging confidence in vaccines generally. They are sitting on a giant stockpile and have a third wave now."
France resumed use of the vaccine yesterday with Prime Minister Jean Castex having the jab live on television in a bid to bolster public confidence.
And Boris Johnson received his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday evening.
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The PM gave a double thumbs-up to mark the occasion as he was given the jab at Westminster Bridge Vaccination Centre at St Thomas' Hospital in central London shortly after 6.30pm.
Leaving hospital he told reporters: "I literally did not feel a thing and so it was very good, very quick and I cannot recommend it too highly."
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The UK is on the verge of reaching the major milestone of giving more than 50 per cent of the adult population their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.
Government data up to March 18 suggests that 49.9 per cent of Brits aged 18 and over have received a first dose, with an estimated 73,000 more jabs needed to pass the halfway mark.
