Pfizer and BioNTech will temporarily cut shipments of their coronavirus vaccine to Europe, several European governments confirmed on Friday.
Germany said the delivery schedule would be affected by the next three to four weeks, as the American company is making changes to its production site in the Belgian city of Puurs.
“In the short term, the EU Commission and, through it, the EU member states, have been informed that Pfizer [and BioNTech] would not be able to fully deliver on the delivery volume already promised in the next three to four weeks due to changes in the Puurs plant, “said the ministry.
German officials said they “regretted” the unexpected news about the vaccine deliveries, which was developed with the German company BioNTech. Berlin urged the European Commission to “seek clarity and certainty” for the next deliveries.
Angry EU nations
Six EU countries condemned the situation as “unacceptable” in a letter sent to the EU Commission following the action by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“This not only affects the planned vaccination schedules, but also decreases the credibility of the vaccination process,” said health ministers from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
They also urged the European Commission to “demand a public explanation”.
Lithuania previously said it would receive only half of the shots agreed this week by mid-February.
“The manufacturer told us that the cuts are across the EU,” Lithuanian Ministry of Health spokesman Vytautas Beniusis told Reuters news agency on Friday. Belgium said its supplies would also be cut in half by mid-February.
USA still on schedule
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen later commented on the news, quoting Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, saying she would do everything possible to reduce delays. The Pfizer boss would work “in person” to make deliveries on the tracks “as quickly as possible,” said von der Leyen.
“He assured me that all guaranteed doses for the first quarter will be delivered in the first quarter,” she said of Bourla.
Pfizer said initially that deliveries were taking place on schedule. However, they later admitted that deliveries would be affected in late January until early February, as the company is increasing production
In a statement on Friday, Pfizer and BioNTech said that “fluctuations” triggered by improvements in the Puurs plant “would provide a significant increase in the doses available to patients in late February and March”.
The companies also said that the American market would not be affected. However, Canadian officials reported that their country would be affected by the downsizing and called the changes “unfortunate”.
More problems for EU leaders
The EU approved the BioNTech-Pfizer product in late December, with Moderna’s vaccine also getting the green light earlier this month. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be released for use in the EU by the end of the month.
The latest cuts are likely to add more pressure on governments across the continent as they struggle with the huge vaccination measures. In Germany and other EU countries, the authorities have been accused of dragging their feet or spoiling inoculation campaigns.
Pfizer targeting 2 billion doses per 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 U.S. pharmaceutical giant wants to increase its production capacity to 2 billion doses of vaccine a year, compared with 1.3 billion currently. They also said it was unclear how long it would take Pfizer to reach maximum production capacity again.
“We received this message today just before 10am (9am GMT). We expected 43,875 doses of Pfizer vaccine in week 3 [next week]. Now it looks like we will have 36,075 doses, “said the agency.
To compensate for the drop in deliveries, Norway will use some of the vaccine doses it reserved as a precaution when it received the first doses.
Norway is closely linked to the EU in several areas because it is within the bloc’s single market. As in Lithuania and Germany, the purchase of COVID vaccines from Norway is negotiated by EU officials.
jf, dj / ng (Reuters, AFP)