Vexing vaccine delays hit drug firms
AstraZeneca and Pfizer are being attacked by the EU over what it claims are delays in delivering the Covid vaccine.

Drug companies AstraZeneca and Pfizer are being attacked by the EU over vaccine delivery delays that could slow the EU’s recovery from Covid-19, says Julia Horowitz on CNN. Pfizer’s problems look likely to be resolved soon, however, while AstraZeneca says “considerably fewer” doses will be supplied for some time. With AstraZeneca’s jab due to be approved by Europe’s regulator shortly, “mounting” anger means that Brussels and several countries are “threatening to take legal action and introduce export controls on doses produced in the bloc” (see page 8).
AstaZeneca’s announcement will prolong the “misery and pain” of Covid-19, says Aimee Donnellan on Breakingviews. Still, problems were “inevitable” as the vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, is made “through a complicated biological process, requiring constant fine-tuning and vast 4,000-litre fermenters, which are in short supply”.
AstraZeneca’s problems are good news for the jab produced by Janssen, Johnson & Johnson’s European vaccine division, which the EU has pre-ordered in large amounts, says the Irish Times. Like the AstraZeneca jab, it doesn’t require “ultra-cold storage temperatures”; but unlike all its major competitors, it also involves a single injection, “greatly simplifying... a national vaccine rollout”. With trial data expected in the next few days, the vaccine is set to receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration sometime in February, with the nod from the European Medicines Agency expected not long afterwards.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.
He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.
Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.
As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri
-
Rightmove: UK asking prices hit record high but Britain enters buyer’s market
Higher property taxes are stifling the typically-busy spring selling season and buyers are benefiting from more choice, meaning sellers must price their homes more competitively
-
Inheritance tax reforms: government urged to rethink curbs on rural reliefs
MPs want the government to delay changes to inheritance rax reliefs for farmers
-
'Pension funds shouldn't be pushed into private equity sector'
Opinion The private-equity party is over, so don't push pension funds into the sector, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
-
Greg Abel: Warren Buffett’s heir takes the throne
Greg Abel is considered a safe pair of hands as he takes centre stage at Berkshire Hathaway. But he arrives after one of the hardest acts to follow in investment history, Warren Buffett. Can he thrive?
-
Who will be the next Warren Buffett?
Opinion There won’t be another Warren Buffett. Times have changed, and the opportunities are no longer there, says Matthew Lynn.
-
Will Comstock crash – or soar?
Opinion The upside for Comstock, a solar panel-recycling and biomass-refining group, dwarfs the downside, says Dominic Frisby.
-
'As AGMs go digital, firms must offer a new form of scrutiny for shareholders'
Opinion Technology has rendered big AGM meet-ups obsolete, but the board still needs to be held to account, says Matthew Lynn
-
Unilever braces for inflation amid tariff uncertainty – what does it mean for investors?
Consumer-goods giant Unilever has made steady progress simplifying its operations. Will tariffs now cause turbulence?
-
Two ways to tap into monopoly profits from airports
Most investors can’t get their hands on airports. Here are two ways you can
-
Fat profits: should you invest in weight-loss drugs?
The latest weight-loss treatments could transform public health and the world economy. Should you invest?