Poland Asks Pfizer To Renegotiate Vaccine Deal
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- 29 May 2023
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Poland, in an effort to halt the unnecessary delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, has approached the Polish Health Ministry to request a reevaluation of the agreement signed by Pfizer and the European Union (EU).
In a letter obtained by EURACTIV, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski seeks to amend the terms of the COVID-19 vaccine contracts with Pfizer to alleviate financial strain and prevent the wastage of thousands of vaccines.
Poland is leading a coalition of European nations advocating for a renegotiation of their contracts with the American pharmaceutical company. In March 2023, the European Commission granted Poland permission to renegotiate its vaccine delivery agreement.
While acknowledging Pfizer's commendable efforts in rapidly producing and distributing vaccines to European citizens, the health minister believes that there should be limits to profit in business.
The objective is to reduce the number of vaccine doses delivered to Poland, as some doses have gone unused and expired, resulting in their disposal. This practice serves no purpose from a public health standpoint, given the limited shelf life and demand for these doses.
The minister emphasizes that the surplus doses cannot even be donated to other regions worldwide due to the lack of interest from governments in accepting COVID-19 vaccine donations.
The financial burden incurred by Poland due to the conflict in Ukraine is also highlighted by Niedzielski to explain the country's constrained ability to pay for pre-ordered vaccines.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Poland has provided refuge to the highest number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe. Over eleven million individuals have crossed the Polish border to escape the war, as reported by the border guard. The letter states that 1.5 million Ukrainians currently remain in Poland, and the government has offered them shelter, healthcare, education, labor market access, and other essential services.
While acknowledging the obvious need for solidarity under these circumstances, the minister stresses that the financial costs associated with these actions are immense. Poland desires to continue delivering basic social services to Ukrainian residents at the existing level.
Poland has been striving to renegotiate its vaccine contract with Pfizer since the previous year, citing the expenses incurred from accepting Ukrainian refugees as the primary reason for its inability to pay for the ordered vaccines through the EU's joint procurement.
The government attempted to invoke the Force Majeure clause in the contract with Pfizer, which the European Commission official informed Reuters in May 2022 was unwarranted. The official asserted that the war in Ukraine did not alter Poland's vaccination requirements and that, if anything, the country now needs to vaccinate refugees.
Niedzielski, in the letter, accuses Pfizer of lacking goodwill in reaching an agreement with Poland and other EU nations. The minister states that Poland has proposed alternative solutions to achieve consensus on the way forward and urges Pfizer to present its own viable propositions.
Pfizer's current proposal involves reducing vaccine doses but still obliges Poland to pay a cancellation fee, which amounts to half the price of a dose that has yet to be manufactured, according to Niedzielski. The letter contends that Pfizer, instead of adopting a humanitarian approach, is merely expressing a willingness to engage in dialogue.
The health minister calls upon Pfizer to alter its approach and demonstrate a readiness to strike a mutually satisfactory deal for both the company and its client states.
Concluding the letter, Niedzielski asserts that destroying vaccines bearing Pfizer's logo will not contribute to finding a viable solution.
Poland is not the sole country grappling with vaccine overstocking, as several nations have urged the European Commission to renegotiate contracts with Pfizer. In March, Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary collectively demanded that the Commission renegotiate the Pfizer contract on behalf of EU member states.
