Calls and SMS: How the European Union came to an agreement with Pfizer to buy 1.8 billion doses

“I am convinced that we are on this path for the long term,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, referring to the contract she is about to sign with Pfizer which will finalize the largest order of COVID-19 vaccines. to date: up to 1.8 billion doses.

But the close connection between the bloc and the American laboratory did not appear overnight. Nor of meetings of European bureaucrats and lawyers across the Atlantic. It was a relationship forged directly between Von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, the CEO of the company, with whom he had several calls and texts to speed up negotiations, according to the review carried out by the New York Times based on several interviews with the protagonists and their relatives.

Communication between the two was not born at the best time, and even with a situation of tension. The first contact took place in January, when Bourla had to explain why Pfizer temporarily cut off supply, two months after the signing of the first agreement for 200 million doses (with an option for 100 million more).

A few weeks later, the situation got complicated in Brussels, overwhelmed by delays from its main supplier, AstraZeneca, which is facing production problems. The leadership of the executive has been seriously questioned. But Von der Leyen had been in contact with the Greek-American CEO. Calls and messages came and went, with both sides making their intentions clear: Pfizer could deliver many more doses and the EU would gladly buy them..

This is how Bourla said it Time: “Many world leaders have contacted me, from presidents or prime ministers and kings to general secretaries of organizations“.

The CEO said he developed “a deep trust” with Von der Leyen because they struck up conversations that weren’t very superficial. “She knew details about the variants, details about everything. So that made the discussion much more engaged.He said, expressing his impression.

The appeals led to new agreements. On February 17, the EU announced an order for 200 million more doses and, two months later, activated the option to buy for another 100 million.

This was recalled by Von der Leyen: “I knew that the expansion of deliveries would have a slow start by nature at the beginning, and so I also knew that the first quarter was going to be difficult. But I didn’t expect it to be this hard, as we didn’t include the possibility of AstraZeneca reducing deliveries by 75%. It was a serious setback. ” In this scenario, personal diplomacy has become increasingly important.

At the same time, Pfizer, confident in the prosperity of the negotiations and the success of its formula, increased its industrial capacities. Even without regulatory approval, it was manufacturing its vaccines on a large scale in a new factory in Germany. By the time he received clearance, he had 11 million doses ready for distribution, which were distributed across the continent within weeks.

The EU is now relying on Pfizer / BioNTech as its main supplier. Although it is an expensive vaccine (contracts are private, but the previous price was set at around $ 19 per dose, only cheaper than Moderna in the region), its effectiveness, safety and logistical reliability make it very attractive.

According to the details provided by Brussels, The new contract would be in force to supply the countries of the European Union between 2021 and 2023 with 900 million doses, and with an option to purchase 900 million more, which would practically guarantee vaccination in this period of the population. European, 450 million inhabitants. The huge surplus refers to the possible need for a third booster dose against newer variants of COVID-19. In addition, it opens up the possibility of practicing vaccine diplomacy to support the efforts of low-income countries.

In this way, the EU will become Pfizer’s main buyer, as the company has so far sold 300 million in the United States.

The regional bloc, with 22% of its citizens vaccinated with at least one dose, continues to lag behind other countries like the United States (42%) or Israel (62%).

In any case, the deal also has its detractors due to its enormous dependence on the American laboratory. “I would caution against betting only on Pfizer / BioNTech. For me this is too high a risk from a scientific point of view“Said Professor Peter Piot, microbiologist advising Ms Von der Leyen, consulted by the TimeAlthough he clarified that vaccines with mRNA technology like Pfizer’s have worked well so far. In addition, he stressed that the important thing is to know who can fulfill the conditions of delivery.

In any case, Von der Leyen made it clear that he is also negotiating with other companies such as Novavax, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. But the Pfizer offer lets you breathe easier.

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