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On Thursday, the European Commission (EC) approved a new contract for 1.8 billion. acquisition of doses by 2023. This is the third contract signed with these companies. Under the contracts previously concluded, 600 million. vaccine doses, Reuters reports.
“Hungary will not buy doses of vaccines from Pfizer,” an EU spokesman said on Thursday.
Gergely Gulyas, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration, confirmed that Hungary had decided not to participate in the joint procurement process because it depended on the current availability of vaccine doses.
He added that Hungary would also not buy other vaccines under the EU purchase plan.
“Hungary would not like to participate in the next phase of the vaccine purchasing program in Brussels,” Gulyas told a news conference on Thursday.
Even if additional vaccines are needed, “there are complete vaccines from eastern and western sources,” the chief administration officer said.
Orban has strong ties to Russia and China. Furthermore, in Hungary, the only EU member state, Russian and Chinese vaccines were approved and introduced before they were approved by the EU drug regulatory authority.
In March, the Hungarian government declared that Russian and Chinese vaccines against COVID-19 were more effective than Western ones, causing discontent among scientists and doctors in the country.
However, the government’s tactics appear to be paying off: in Hungary, 49% have been vaccinated with at least one dose. Adults. According to Reuters, Hungary ranks fourth in the world in terms of vaccination rates.
Victor orban
Under the joint procurement plan, the EU signed contracts with six Western vaccine manufacturers to receive up to € 2.6 billion. dose. The new agreement with Pfizer is the first of a second phase of agreements to ensure that the EU has sufficient doses in the future if additional vaccination is required or new varieties are available.
Delphi He recalls that the European Commission (EC) signed on Thursday a third contract with the pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer for an additional 1.8 billion euros; COVID-19 coronavirus infection vaccine dose in 2021-2023.
The European Union may acquire 900 million. doses of current and new vaccines adapted to new strains of the virus, with the possibility of acquiring another 900 million. additional doses.
The new treaty requires that vaccines be manufactured in the Community and that their main ingredients be of Community origin. It also states that from 2022 the delivery of vaccines to the EU is guaranteed at the end of The cooperation established with companies under existing agreements and procedures will ensure that vaccines are delivered on time.
The EC noted that from now on the possibility for Member States to resell or donate doses of vaccines to non-EU countries that need them, or under the COVAX instrument, would be strengthened. The Commission affirms that this contributes to universal and fair access to vaccines worldwide. This new agreement will increase the EU’s vaccine production capacity and serve other world markets.
“Now that we have signed it, the new agreement has entered into force. This is good news in the long-term fight to protect European citizens from the virus and its strains. Up to € 1.8 billion is guaranteed to be produced and distributed in the EU. doses of vaccines. Possible contracts with other manufacturers will follow the same model, for the benefit of all, ”said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Stela Kiriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “We need to avoid the virus. This means having access to personalized vaccines to protect us from the threat posed by strains and booster vaccines to prolong immunity and protect our younger population. We prioritize technologies that have already proven their worth, such as mRNA vaccines, but remain open to other possibilities. The last few months have made it clear that we need access to a wide range of vaccines and a selection of different technologies, and that we need reliable partners. With the accelerated pace of vaccination and the intensification of activities to develop effective drugs, we can look to the future with greater optimism and confidence ”.
Thursday’s agreement with the BioNTech-Pfizer alliance adds to a large basket of COVID-19 vaccines to be produced in Europe, including agreements previously signed with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Curevac, Moderna and with the same BioNTech / Pfizer alliance.
Earlier this year, the European Commission authorized the distribution in the EU market of vaccines developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson. This basket of various vaccines will help ensure that Europe has sufficient doses to immunize its entire population, including against new strains of pandemic coronavirus.
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