BRIEF—AstraZeneca vaccine shipment blocked by Italy

In a move that appears to be condoned by the European Commission, the Italian government has blocked the export of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, the Oxford University-developed jab that is being commercialized by US pharma major AstraZeneca.

The decision affects 250,000 doses of the vaccine produced at an AstraZeneca facility in Italy, according to the UK’s public broadcaster BBC and other media reports.

Italy is the first European Union country to use the bloc's new regulations allowing exports to be stopped if the company providing the vaccines has failed to meet its obligations to the EU.

The shipment to Australia was blocked because the country is not on the EU’s list of vulnerable nations.

Australia said losing "one shipment" would not badly affect its rollout, however, Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said his government had asked Brussels to review the ban.

AstraZeneca is on track to provide only 40% of the agreed supply to member states in the first three months of the year, having cited production problems for the shortfall.