Commissioner for Internal Market Affairs Thierry Breton, who oversees vaccination policy in the European Commission (EC), said that even after the approval of the European regulator, the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” will come to the EU “too late”.
“I am convinced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will study Sputnik V and give it a correct assessment. But a possible approval would not mean that the vaccine can be produced in sufficient quantities. It usually takes many months before the corresponding products can be established and expanded. For our goal — to vaccinate as many Europeans as possible in the summer — Sputnik V will simply come too late, “ Breton said in an interview with Spiegel.
At the same time, according to him, the European Union will have enough vaccines to achieve collective immunity in the summer.
Breton has previously said that Europe will not need Sputnik V, as the EU has already approved four other drugs, which will be enough to achieve collective immunity. Before that, he called the Russian vaccine good but said that it is necessary to establish its products in the European Union, and in this Russia may need help.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously noted that Moscow does not impose its vaccine on anyone, but when there are statements that it is not needed in Europe, the question arises who’s interests they support-citizens or pharmaceutical companies.
