Italian foreign minister says pharma firms must respect vaccine contracts

Coronavirus vaccination campaigns need to speed up across the European Union and it is unacceptable for pharmaceutical companies not to deliver promised supplies, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday.

Italy on Thursday blocked a shipment of 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine destined for Australia after the drug manufacturer failed to meet contract commitments, Italian officials said.

Di Maio, speaking at a news conference after a meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, said the move should not be seen as a hostile act against Australia. He added that all of Europe was worried about rising COVID-19 cases.

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