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The German company BioNTech, a partner of the North American consortium Pfizer in the development of the first vaccine against the new coronavirus, will increase production to meet the needs of the European Union (EU) countries, in difficulty to be able to immunize the population.
In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, BioNTech’s CEO attributed the current shortage in part to EU purchasing policy, considering the process slower than in other parts of the world.
“The process in Europe was not as fast and direct as in other countries and this is also due to the fact that the EU did not authorize direct orders, otherwise the countries would also have had their opportunity. In a negotiation that requires a clear announcement, this can take time, ”Ugur Sahin told Der Spiegel.
“There was the idea that many other companies with vaccines would appear. Apparently, I had the impression that there would be enough and that things were not going to be serious, and that surprised me, “he added.
This determined, according to Sahin, that there was a shortage because “other licensed vaccines are lacking” and BioNTech will have to “fill this gap”.
The interview with Sahin comes as Germany is criticized for the slowness of the vaccination campaign, which began on December 27.
BioNTech Medical Director Ózlem Türeci said, for his part, that the idea of creating a basket of vaccines from various producers seemed right at first, but then he realized that not all would respond in time to requests.
Increasing production, according to Türeci, is not easy because “there are no specialized factories on the planet that can produce overnight with the necessary quality.”
BioNTech has agreed with five manufacturers in Europe to produce the vaccine and is negotiating new contracts.
Sahin has expectations about the effect that the new factory in Marburg, in central Germany, will have, which could produce 250 million doses in the first half of 2021.
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