Pfizer wants the EU to continue paying for any unutilized Covid shots - FT

Pfizer has offered to extend its Covid-19 vaccine contract with the European Union while scaling back deliveries, but still expects the bloc to pay billions of euros for unused doses. This has sparked outrage from member states, who say the deal would serve the interests of Big Pharma over their own citizens. The amendments to the deal were presented by European health commissioner Stella Kyriakides during a closed-door meeting in Brussels, but faced objections from some EU members. Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania and Poland said they would not sign the agreement with the proposed changes, as they do not meet the needs of the healthcare systems, the needs of citizens and the financial interests of the member states. Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski argued that the current Pfizer proposal would favor Big Pharma, and has called for the secretive contract to be published.

The EU watchdog launched a probe into the negotiation and procurement process after German Health Minister Ursula von der Leyen failed to produce personal text messages sent to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the talks for nearly 2 billion vaccine doses. The 27-member bloc originally signed a joint contract with Pfizer in 2020, but since the pandemic receded, demand for vaccines has steadily dropped, leaving an overabundance across the continent. Some countries have been forced to throw away vaccines, while others are sitting on large stocks of unused shots. Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Valek argued that the majority of countries had agreed to the deal and that the contract is not bad.