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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer confirmed on Friday that it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its COVID-19 vaccine while increasing its production capacity to 2 billion doses per year.
The head of the European Commission said she immediately called the CEO of Pfizer. But to indicate that the problem could extend beyond Europe, the Government of Canada said it was also affected.
Line Fedders, spokesperson for Pfizer Denmark, said that in order to reach the new target of 2 billion doses, Pfizer was increasing production at its plant in Puurs, Belgium, which “means adapting the facilities and processes of the plant. ‘factory, which requires further quality testing and approvals from the authorities. “
“As a result, fewer doses will be available for European countries in late January and early February,” she said.
“This temporary reduction will affect all European countries,” she said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Germany’s health ministry said on Friday that Pfizer had informed the European Commission, responsible for ordering vaccines from the company, that it would not be able to honor all promised deliveries within the next three to four weeks. .
The ministry said German officials took note of the Commission’s unexpected announcement “with regret” as the company had made binding delivery commitments in mid-February.
“Federal and state governments expect the European Commission to bring clarity and certainty as soon as possible to negotiations with Pfizer on deliveries and additional delivery dates,” the statement said.
The Commission sealed the vaccine contracts on behalf of the 27 Member States, but is not responsible for timing and deliveries.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she “immediately called the CEO of Pfizer”.
“He reassured me that all guaranteed first trimester doses will be delivered in the first trimester. He is personally on the verge of reducing the delay period and making sure that they catch up as soon as possible, ”said von der Leyen.
Earlier on Friday, Commission spokesperson for health policy Stefan de Keersmaecker said deliveries were made on the basis of order forms and specific contracts between Member States and companies.
“The specifics of these arrangements are set out in these purchase orders or contracts,” he said.
The Commission has obtained up to 600 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine produced in partnership with the German BioNTech.
Pfizer’s Belgian factory supplies all snapshots shipped outside the United States, including Canada, where Purchasing Minister Anita Anand said on Friday the U.S. drugmaker was temporarily reducing deliveries due to issues with its lines European production. While the company said it was still able to deliver four million doses by the end of March, this is no longer guaranteed, she said.
Canadian officials said the reduction means that Canada’s vaccine shipments will be cut in half for next month.
The country has only received 380,000 doses of the vaccine so far and was expected to receive 400,000 this month, and expects nearly two million doses in February.
Norwegian authorities also said on Friday that they had been informed by Pfizer of the reduction which will begin next week as the company raises its current annual dose target of 1.3 billion.
“We predicted 43,875 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine in week 3. It now looks like we were receiving 36,075 doses,” said Geir Bukholm, director of infection control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
“The stock we currently have will be able to compensate for a reduction in deliveries scheduled for a few weeks to come if necessary,” he said.
In Finland, broadcaster YLE said the delay would lead to problems with delivery to the domestic market in late January and early February.
Danish officials have expressed concern.
“We are in a race against the coronavirus and the new variant of the more contagious virus,” said Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke. “Therefore, we take the drop in shipments very seriously.”
Henrik Ullum, director of the Statens Serum Institut, a government agency that maps the spread of the coronavirus in Denmark, said he expected the development to mean that “in times to come we will be able to vaccinate less than what we thought initially ”.
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Samuel Petrequin and Raf Casert in Brussels, Frank Jordans in Berlin and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed.
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