AstraZeneca Plc. has informed the European Union to expect a shortfall in its deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines in the second quarter, reported Reuters.

The British–Swedish multinational pharmaceutical giant told the bloc during internal meetings that it “would deliver less than 90 million doses in the second quarter”, according to an EU official cited by the outlet.

The drug maker planned to deliver about 40 million doses in the first quarter – also less than half the amount of jabs it developed with the University of Oxford and was under contract to supply, according to the source.

Problems at a vaccine factory in Belgium run by partner Novasep were reportedly cited.

A spokesman for AstraZeneca was quoted by the outlet as saying:

“We are hopeful that we will be able to bring our deliveries closer in line with the advance purchase agreement… We are continuously revising our delivery schedule and informing the European Commission on a weekly basis of our plans to bring more vaccines to Europe.”

In a subsequent statement on Tuesday, the company said its “most recent Q2 forecast for the delivery of its COVID-19 vaccine aims to deliver in line with its contract with the European Commission”.

“At this stage AstraZeneca is working to increase productivity in its EU supply chain and to continue to make use of its global capability in order to achieve delivery of 180 million doses to the EU in the second quarter,” reads the statement by the pharmaceutical company.

A spokesman for the European Commission that coordinates talks with vaccine manufacturers refused to comment on the ‘confidential’ discussions.

However, the official added, the outlet stated that the EU should have ‘more than enough shots’ to reach vaccination targets if agreed deliveries from other suppliers are met.

Closing the Gap ‘Unrealistic’

According to a German health ministry document dated 22 February and cited by the outlet, AstraZeneca is expected to compensate for shortfalls in deliveries by the end of September, with Germany to receive 34 million doses in the third quarter.

With its total jab deliveries to Germany projected to reach 56 million shots, this would be in line with the country’s share of 300 million doses AstraZeneca is under contract to supply to the bloc. There has not yet been any official comment on the report from the German health ministry.

However, while hiking up output in the third quarter could be conducive to helping the European Union meet its vaccination targets, the bloc’s negotiators were reportedly sceptical.

“Closing the gap in supplies in the third quarter might be unrealistic,” the EU official was cited as saying, emphasising that AstraZeneca is yet to clarify where the promised extra doses of vaccine would come from, and the drug maker had changed its delivery figures many times before.

While the company is currently not exporting jabs made in the UK, in accordance with a separate contract with the country’s government, AstraZeneca has pledged to supply the bloc with inoculations from its global supply chain, including plants in India and the United States, an EU official was cited by Reuters as saying last week.