Pfizer Seeks To Decrease Coronavirus Vaccine Supply Due To 'Extra' Dose In Vials - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2021) Pfizer is seeking to capitalize on the fact that the vials of their coronavirus vaccines contain enough for a sixth dose, one more than the originally intended five, by decreasing shipments and recalculating its volumes, the New York Times reported.

According to the newspaper, Pfizer is set to retrospectively charge governments for the extra dose or count its contractual obligation fulfilled ahead of time.

Earlier in the month, the pharmaceutical behemoth successfully lobbied the US food and Drug Administration to change the wording of the government contract to say that vials contained "up to six doses" instead of five. Similar changes were pushed through on labels in the World Health Organization and the EU's European Medicines Agency.

This may force the US Federal government to decrease the vaccine supply to the state level based on the assumption that each vial has six doses.

This change would mean Pfizer can claim it would produce up to two billion doses throughout 2021 instead of the originally outlined 1.3 billion doses. This would also mean US regulatory agencies can count that 120 million doses would have been administered by the end of March, well over the originally planned 100 million, the Times reported.

Crucial to the situation is the fact that Pfizer sells its coronavirus vaccine by the dose and not by the vial.

Health care workers, however, have complained that the extra dose requires a specialized syringe to extract.

White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the new administration may employ special powers to accelerate the production of the special syringes, known as low dead-volume syringes, and prioritize vaccine distribution to health care centers with guaranteed stockpiles.