What were Pfizer’s conditions for selling its vaccine to the European Union?

According to reporters from La Vanguardia, the contract was signed on November 20, 2020 by Pfizer’s global vaccine program chairperson Nanette Cocero and EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

Until this week, the price paid for each dose was not known, It had only been posted on Twitter that the European Union paid € 12 (around $ 14.40), and that is why the companies were delaying in delivering the vaccines..

In contrast, the pre-tax prices agreed between Cocero and Kyriakides were € 17.50 for the first 100 million doses and € 13.50 to € 200 million, with the possibility of purchasing an additional 100 million from 15.50 euros (average between previous quotes) if they were ordered before December 21, 2020.

Today, the American Pfizer and the German BioNTech are the main suppliers of the vaccine against the coronavirus in Europe given the delays suffered by AstraZeneca and Johnhon & Johnson.

In fact, this slowdown in the distribution of doses has left companies on a tight rope against the European Union.

In addition, the contract states that Pfizer and BioNTech are not responsible for any damage their vaccine may cause to third parties or companies, but rather delegate the entire burden to the European Commission and authorities in member countries.

Pfizer is responsible for the correct manufacture of the serum, but once the doses have been delivered, it is released from the possibility of paying any kind of compensation, although it is not clear whether this includes any side effects not described in the sheet. formula technique.

Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s terms for Europe echo leonine deals they’ve reportedly made with Chile, Peru and other Latin American countries.

In principle, the European Commission paid 700 million euros as an advance (3.5 € per dose), then each member country paid the rest of the amount depending on the quantity of vaccines it needed for its population.

Pfizer’s delay in delivering vaccines to several European countries, including Spain, is believed to have been the result of a factory failure in Belgium and not a monetary issue or because the regional bloc authorized the order for six days after December 15th.

The European Union has signed a second contract with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine, which is expected to be delivered in 2021.

In addition, a third agreement is being negotiated under which pharmaceutical companies would sell 1.8 billion doses of vaccines to the European Union by 2022 and 2023, half of which are optional.