(Adds comments from MSF, Emergency)
By Bhargav Acharya
March 2 (Reuters) - The UK will receive 10 million
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses made by the Serum Institute
of India (SII), the UK government said on Tuesday.
SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is
mass producing the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with
Oxford University, for dozens of poor and middle-income
countries.
"The UK has ordered 100 million doses of AstraZeneca's
COVID-19 vaccine, of which 10 million doses will come from the
Serum Institute of India," a UK government spokesperson told
Reuters.
Reuters reported in February that Britain's Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was auditing the
manufacturing processes at SII to pave the way for the
AstraZeneca vaccine to be shipped from there to the UK.
The move is likely to stir concerns that wealthy Western
countries are procuring vaccine doses at the expense of poor
countries.
A slew of low-and middle-income countries ranging from
Bangladesh to Brazil are dependent on SII's AstraZeneca vaccine,
branded COVISHIELD, but demand has been growing from Western
countries.
It is also providing doses to the COVAX programme backed by
the World Health Organization and GAVI vaccine alliance.
The UK government said the agreement follows assurances from
the SII that providing doses to the UK would not impact its
commitment to provide vaccines to poorer countries.
Italian non-governmental organisation Emergency remained
concerned, however: "The acquisition by the UK is just another
example of how the countries with the highest incomes continue
to enjoy privileges at the expense of the poorest ones."
Alain Alsalhani, Vaccines and Special Projects Pharmacist
with NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres, said he was worried about
potential delays.
"This announcement is a concern as we were under the
impression that AstraZeneca would manufacture doses for the UK
and Europe in Britain and in the European Union," he said.
"If SII exports doses to Europe, we can genuinely ask
ourselves if AZ and SII delivery timelines to the COVAX
mechanism in the first half are not going to be subject to
delays."
Britain has been ahead at inoculating people, with nearly
20.5 million residents receiving the first dose of a COVID-19
vaccine so far, according to official data.
Separately, the European Union's drug regulator is auditing
the manufacturing site of SII, Reuters reported on Monday.
AstraZeneca has committed to delivering 180 million doses in the
second quarter to the EU.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; Additional
reporting by Matthias Blamont in Paris, Emilio Parodi in Milan;
Editing by Chris Reese and Rosalba O'Brien)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
