A Pfizer Inc PFE The executive has “categorically” ruled out that the pharmaceutical giant’s CEO approved the European COVID-19 deal via mobile text message.
The executive was involved in negotiating a mass supply agreement for COVID-19 vaccines with the European Commission. The European Commission signed a third contract with BioNTech SE BNTX and Pfizer for an additional 1.8 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The new agreement will initially supply 900 million doses of the vaccine, with the option to request up to one another 900 million doses.
“Whether a contract negotiation like this contract you referred to, 1.8 billion doses, was negotiated via SMS, I can categorically tell you that it would not be,” said Janine Small, President of International Developed Markets at Pfizer, told the European Parliament’s special committee on COVID-19 on Monday.
Reuters report says that the executive also added that such talks involve far too many people on both sides and take far too long to be conducted via cellphone texting. “I know this because I’ve been involved in all of the negotiations and discussions as of 2020,” Small said.
In an interview with The New York Times in April 2021, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she exchanged texts with CEO Albert Bourla for a month while the deal was being negotiated, prompting calls for the exchanges to be made public.
The commission said it no longer had the texts, which was later criticized by the European Union Ombudsman.
Price promotion: PFE shares are down 0.72% to $42.02 on the latest check Monday.
