Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland could sell or give away AstraZeneca doses if regulator dithers

vaccine
Keystone / Alessandro Di Marco

A lack of green light from medicines regulator Swissmedic could see 5.3 million doses ordered by Switzerland sent elsewhere. 

The absence of anti-Covid vaccine AstraZeneca from a delivery plan shared last week by the army has raised questions about the fate of the vaccine. The British manufacturer accounts for a seventh of the country’s vaccine dose orders. 

On Sunday, the paper NZZ am Sonntag wrote that the federal government is considering selling or giving away the Swiss quota if market approval continues to be delayed or is eventually denied. The review is dragging on since October because the competent authority, Swissmedic, has requested additional clinical data from a study in the US.

Nora Kronig, who is in charge of vaccine procurement, told the NZZ am Sonntag that the data situation is currently uncertain, which is why AstraZeneca is not listed in the delivery plan. She added that withdrawal from the sales contract is not an option at the moment but said the order would be reexamined if the vaccine fails to get approval. 

According to Kronig, Switzerland is not dependent on AstraZeneca doses and the government does not rule out passing on the doses to others if necessary. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca told the paper that the company is ready to swiftly deliver doses to Switzerland as soon as Swissmedic approves the vaccine. 
 

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

Two men charged by the MPC with money laundering

More

Two Swiss men charged with money laundering

This content was published on One million francs, 34 million euros and around 830 kilos of gold: this is the fortune that two Swiss nationals are accused of having moved across borders for at least four years.

Read more: Two Swiss men charged with money laundering
Richemont reports lower first-half results

More

Richemont reports lower first-half results

This content was published on Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a downturn in performance for the first half of its 2024/25 financial year. Both sales and profit declined.

Read more: Richemont reports lower first-half results

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR