Brussels and Pfizer agree deal to cut supply of Covid vaccines

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The European Commission and Pfizer have agreed a deal to reduce the number of Covid-19 vaccines supplied to the EU, resolving tensions between most member states over paying for vaccines that may go unused.

After months of negotiations, 24 Member States have signed up to the amended contract. Poland and Hungary have not supported the new deal, while Romania is expected to sign next week. The resisters had complained that it was not a good use of reduced healthcare budgets, given the endangered threat from COVID-19.

US pharmaceutical company Pfizer sold the shots, developed with Germany’s BioNTech, for around $19 a dose under the contract it signed in 2021, but the new price was not disclosed.

THE most recent proposal it included a new provision for member states to pay half price, around 10 euros, for each dose cancelled, according to people close to the negotiations. He further proposed that deliveries should reach a total of 70 million rounds annually through 2026.

Stella KyriakidesEuropean Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, has welcomed the new deal, which also allows countries to delay delivery of some vaccines by up to four years.

“We have brought the pandemic under control largely through our vaccines and vaccinations. And while Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, it remains a threat that will likely stay here. It is therefore crucial that we are prepared for the years to come,” she said.

The original deal was signed in 2021 as the world grappled with a vaccine shortage and the EU worried about delays in the delivery of vaccines from Oxford/AstraZeneca and other suppliers.

Last year, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it had launched an investigation into the Commission’s acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines. But he did not make any further details public. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the investigation is still ongoing.

Pfizer and BioNTech said the amended agreement “reflects the companies’ commitment to work collaboratively to help meet current public health needs, while adhering to the principles of the original agreement.”

The partners added that the commission will maintain access to adapted Covid vaccines for any future variants and will have the ability to donate doses to non-EU countries.

Sales of Covid-19 vaccines have fallen as governments work through existing supplies and contracts and fewer people accept annual booster shots.

But the size of the amended deal between Pfizer and BioNTech still leaves little room for rivals in the EU, leaving the bloc largely dependent on a vaccine, according to health officials and analysts who believe a series of injections is important to protect against any resurgence of the virus, or the emergence of new variants.