EU and Pfizer/BionTech adjust COVID-19 vaccine supply contract

On May 26, the European Union (EU) and pharmaceutical companies Pfizer (USA) and BionTech (Germany) announced that they had reached an agreement to amend the contract for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, reducing the number of vaccines and delaying the delivery date to 2026.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

The agreement comes after months of negotiations and comes as the EU is under pressure from member states to amend the contract due to a surplus of COVID-19 vaccines and low demand for booster shots. Some EU countries have been forced to destroy expired batches of vaccines.

In a statement, European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides said the revision of the vaccine contract with Pfizer/BioNTech was in line with real needs. Under the original contract signed in May 2021, Pfizer/BioNTech was to deliver 900 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the EU by the end of this year, with the option to deliver another 900 million doses later. However, more than 50% of the 900 million doses under the contract have not yet been delivered due to reduced demand last year. The EU has also not requested additional purchases of vaccines as originally planned.

The announcements from the European Commission (EC) and Pfizer/BioNTech did not specify the number of doses cut in the contract. However, a source familiar with the matter said that the two sides would reduce the number of undelivered vaccines by about 30% from the original 900 million doses. According to the source, EU member states will have to pay a fee for each dose that is destroyed.

Under the revised contract, the EU will continue to have access to COVID-19 vaccines adapted to combat new variants as soon as they are approved by regulators.

According to Baotintuc.vn

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Source: http://www.baohoabinh.com.vn/18/178356/EU-va-PfizerBi111nTech-dieu-chinh-hop-dong-cung-cap-vaccine-COVID-19.htm