EU Commission Says Price Just One Aspect Of Effort To Secure Supply Of COVID-19 Vaccines

The European Union is striving for a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines to its members and price is but one issue in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, European Commission spokeswoman Vivian Loonela said on Tuesday

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2021) The European Union is striving for a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines to its members and price is but one issue in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, European Commission spokeswoman Vivian Loonela said on Tuesday.

The Financial Times said on Sunday, citing supply contracts to the EU, that Pfizer and Moderna have increased vaccine prices. The new price for a Pfizer vaccine dose has risen from 15.5 Euros [$18.2] to 19.5 euros [$23.1], according to the news outlet, and the Moderna from $22.6 to $25.5.

"We have indeed seen the press reports, but we don't comment and we never have commented on the prices as such, because we consider this confidential information and therefore we are not commenting on those leaks, nor on the prices.

However, from the start, what is important for the Commission in this work on the vaccines is to concentrate and really making sure that our member states have the most efficient and the most secure vaccines," Loonela said at a briefing.

The official went on to state that the EU is continuing to negotiate with vaccine manufactures to secure a continuous supply.

"This [the price] is just one of the aspects that we are looking at when we are doing those negotiations with the companies," Loonela said.

According to the spokeswoman, other factors include production capacity, the technology used, the delivery schedule, and the past experience of working with a particular vaccine manufacturer.