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Switzerland has a pre-reservation for the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine. But when it will be delivered it is open.
Who will get the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine first? 1.3 billion cans will be produced by the end of 2021.
Photo: Dado Ruvic (Reuters)
Early booking has been agreed for Pfizer-Biontech’s promising Covid vaccination, as the Federal Council announced yesterday. 1.5 million people should be protected with it. Vaccines could start in the first half of 2021, says Health Minister Alain Berset. Until then, there are still three obstacles left.
First, clinical trials must be completed successfully. That could take a few more weeks (here are the most important questions and answers). So the vaccination must be approved by the Swissmedic pharmaceutical authority. However, that alone is not enough for people in Switzerland to be vaccinated. To do this, Switzerland first has to negotiate the exact contract with the delivery date, quantity, and price. This is the only way to get hold of part of the production from the beginning.
Who could get vaccinated first is also open. In principle, it is intended that health workers, the elderly and other risk groups come first. But it remains to be seen whether Pfizer’s vaccine is suitable for these groups as well. The respective efficacy profile of a Covid vaccine determines who it is suitable for.
Switzerland wants to order a total of 3 million cans, of which two syringes are needed for one vaccine. This amount is comparatively small. Pfizer-Biontech should be able to produce 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, but a significant part of that has already been awarded. It depends
The mode of delivery determines whether Switzerland can even be among the first recipients.
US and EU leading
In principle, a company can proceed in such a way that it delivers the first complete batches to one country and processes the pre-orders one after another. Or divide it between different states. In no case should the United States leave empty-handed: in July they had signed a preliminary contract with the US company Pfizer for the express delivery of 100 million cans. They also got the subsequent delivery of another 500 million.
The European Union was also involved from the beginning and has obtained up to 300 million doses from Pfizer-Biontech. The supply agreements were previously negotiated in the summer and have now been closed after the positive results of the study. Germany has also secured an additional national delivery from German start-up Biontech. The state had previously supported the company with millions in research funding.
The United States has secured the Pfizer vaccine for almost the entire population.
The US and the EU also have preliminary contracts with other providers. The same applies to Switzerland: it has strong reservations with AstraZeneca and Moderna. Switzerland also participates in international initiatives for the acquisition of Covid vaccines, known as Covax.
Switzerland is entitled to a total of 16 million doses. This could be enough for 8 million people because most vaccines require two injections. That would be more than enough, because only 60 to 70 percent of the population should get vaccinated.
But pre-orders are a gamble because some vaccination projects are likely to fail. With advance reservations, a state will commit to certain vaccines and make upfront payments without knowing if they will be successful. Instead of Pfizer-Biontech, Moderna could have been the first to present promising interim results from the large clinical study. Both companies use the same technological platform with the new mRNA method. Like many other countries, Switzerland took a closer look at two possible vaccines from the three most promising platforms and pre-ordered one, says Christian Münz of the federal Covid task force: “It was not clear in advance that Pfizer would be ahead of time.”
Lonza’s boss played a role
Swissmedic is currently testing the vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer-Biontech. The company has not yet applied for approval of the Moderna vaccine reserved by Switzerland. Philippe Girard, deputy director of Swissmedic, assumes, however, that the app will follow soon.
The reservation with AstraZeneca was made for Switzerland through the EU. The fact that the Swiss pharmaceutical supplier Lonza manufactures the active ingredient for its vaccination influenced the decision in favor of Moderna. Lonza’s boss had mediated it. Because I didn’t want the vaccine to be delivered around the world if the project was successful, but Switzerland would leave empty-handed.
