Pfizer and BioNTech will temporarily suspend shipments of its coronavirus vaccine to Europe, several European governments confirmed on Friday.
Germany said the delivery schedule will be affected for the next three to four weeks, as the US company makes changes to the production site in the Belgian city of Puurs.
“The EU Commission and, through it, the EU Member States, were soon informed that Pfizer [and BioNTech] could not fully meet the delivery volume already promised for the next three to four weeks due to changes at the Puurs plant, “the ministry said.
The German authorities said they “regretted” the unexpected news about vaccine deliveries, which were developed together with the German company BioNTech. Berlin called on the European Commission to “seek clarity and certainty” for future deliveries.
EU nations are upset
Six EU nations described the situation as “unacceptable” in a letter sent to the EU Commission following a move by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“Not only does it have an impact on planned vaccination programs, but it also reduces the credibility of the vaccination process,” said health ministers in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
They also urged the European Commission to “ask for a public explanation”.
Lithuania has previously reported that it will receive only half of the agreed-upon shots this week through mid-February.
“The manufacturer told us the cuts are at EU level,” Lithuanian Health Ministry spokeswoman Vytautas Beniusis said on Friday. Belgium has said its supply will be reduced by half to mid-February.
US still on schedule
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, later commented on the news, quoting Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla as saying he would do everything possible to reduce delays. The head of Pfizer would work “personally” to get deliveries on track “as soon as possible,” von der Leyen said.
“He assured me that all guaranteed doses in the first trimester will be delivered in the first trimester,” she said of Bourla.
Pfizer initially said deliveries are on schedule. However, they later acknowledged that deliveries would be affected in late January to early February as the company intensified production.
In a statement on Friday, Pfizer and BioNTech said the “fluctuations” triggered by improvements at the Puurs plant would “provide a significant increase in doses available to patients in late February and March.”
The companies also said that the US market will not be affected. However, Canadian officials reported that their country would be affected by the cut and called the changes “unfortunate”.
More problems for EU leaders
The EU approved the BioNTech-Pfizer product in late December, with the Moderna vaccine also receiving the green light earlier this month. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be phased out for use in the EU by the end of the month.
The latest cuts are likely to put more pressure on governments on the continent as they fight mammoth vaccination impulses. In Germany and other EU countries, authorities have been accused of dragging their feet or beating inoculation campaigns.
Pfizer targets 2 billion doses a year
Norway, which is not a member of the EU, was the first to announce the setback. The country’s Institute of Public Health (FHI) said the US pharmaceutical giant wants to improve its production capacity to 2 billion doses of vaccine per year from 1.3 billion today. They also said it was unclear how long it would take for Pfizer to reach maximum production capacity again.
“I received this message today shortly before 10.00 (09.00 GMT). We expected 43,875 doses of vaccine from Pfizer in week 3 [next week]. Now it looks like we will receive 36,075 doses, “the agency said.
To compensate for the reduction in deliveries, Norway will use some of the vaccine doses it set aside as a precaution when it received its first allocations.
Norway is closely linked to the EU in many areas, as it is within the bloc’s single market. As in Lithuania and Germany, the purchase of COVID vaccines in Norway is being negotiated by EU officials.
jf, dj / ng (Reuters, AFP)