EU says it has yet to decide on legal case against AstraZeneca

The European Commission said on Wednesday no decision had yet been taken on whether to launch legal action against AstraZeneca, after Ireland’s health minister said the case had been initiated.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on Thursday told the Irish parliament that “a legal case has been initiated by the commission and earlier this week I have joined Ireland as one of the parties to that legal case”.

A spokesman for the European Commission later said, however, that a final decision had not yet been taken.

“No decision to launch legal actions has been taken at this point in time,” a spokesman for the commission said.

Donnelly’s department did not respond to a request for comment.

Source familiar with the situation have told Reuters the commission was working on legal proceedings after the drugmaker cut deliveries to the European Union. The sources said the matter was discussed at a meeting on Wednesday, but some EU member states wanted more time to consider the move.

[Reuters]