Pfizer’s revised EU Covid vaccine contract meets resistance

Pfizer has supplied to vary its Covid-19 vaccine contract with the EU to chop the variety of doses being equipped by 40 per cent and delay their supply after member states complained of a glut of photographs.

The US pharmaceutical firm has agreed to increase its contract from 2023 to 2026, in line with two individuals with data of the talks. However it’s insisting on fee for doses ordered within the contract that can by no means be manufactured, angering some governments.

European well being commissioner Stella Kyriakides offered the contract modification to well being ministers in a non-public assembly in Brussels on Tuesday however met resistance from 4 member states together with Poland.

Governments have been destroying provides as a result of the coronavirus pandemic subsided sooner than anticipated and demand for boosters is shrinking.

Richer nations consider the worth — €19.50 a dose — means the contract stays good worth for cash. Pfizer, together with Moderna, raised EU vaccine costs in 2021 when nations had been anxious to safe provides for repeat photographs.

Vlastimil Válek, Czech well being minister, mentioned most nations thought the deal was honest. The contract mechanically updates to new vaccines developed to take care of new variants, he mentioned. “The vast majority of nations agreed. The contract is just not unhealthy.”

He added: “Covid continues to be right here. It is going to be essential to repeat vaccination every year for a selected group of sufferers.”

However Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Lithuania issued a press release saying they’d not comply with it.

“In our opinion these proposals don’t current a last and honest resolution to the issues of the Covid-19 vaccine surplus and don’t meet the wants of the healthcare techniques, the wants of residents and the monetary pursuits of the member states,” they mentioned.

The 4 mentioned the fee ought to negotiate a greater contract or purchase doses from member states that don’t need them and donate them abroad. Austria additionally mentioned it was sad with the deal.

Warsaw claimed power majeure final 12 months and has not accepted or paid for any deliveries since. Poland’s well being minister Adam Niedzielski mentioned the deal favoured pharmaceutical corporations, not EU residents. He additionally demanded the confidential contract be revealed.

The European Fee claimed a triumph in 2020 when it corralled the then 27 member states right into a joint contract to order billions of vaccine doses even earlier than researchers had them accredited.

Nevertheless, because the severity of the pandemic has waned, it has left the EU dedicated to paying for unneeded vaccines. About 82 per cent of adults within the bloc have acquired a minimum of two jabs and greater than 1.7bn doses have been delivered. Contracts had been concluded with eight vaccine builders, offering as many as 4.2bn doses.

Covid vaccine producers comparable to Pfizer are struggling to generate gross sales on the identical scale as on the peak of the pandemic.

Kyriakides urged all member states to approve the change. “Working collectively we’ve achieved a big discount of doses, an extension of our contract in time far past 2023, and safety of provide in case extra doses are wanted,” she mentioned. “If we wish to modify vaccine deliveries, we want a deal.”

International locations that don’t join will stay locked into the unique contract phrases.

Pfizer mentioned the discussions had been carried out “in good religion” and remained “confidential”.

“We’re dedicated to discovering pragmatic options to deal with public well being and the evolving pandemic wants, whereas guaranteeing Pfizer and BioNTech proceed to satisfy all of their contractual obligations relating to the supply of Covid-19 vaccines to the EU,” the corporate mentioned in a press release.