Pfizer has filed a lawsuit against the Polish government, claiming missing payments for over 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The pharmaceutical giant took legal action after Poland allegedly failed to meet its contract obligations for COVID-19 vaccines.
Poland found itself committed to purchasing surplus vaccines when, in 2021, the European Commission had the country sign a controversial contract.
Pfizer is seeking $1.5 billion in compensation for the 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that Poland declined.
In 2022, the then Polish Health Minister, Adam Niedzielski, announced that the country had halted the receipt of vaccine shipments from Pfizer.
He stated that Poland invoked a force majeure clause in the contract, citing a lack of financial capacity due to a surge in refugees from the Ukraine war.
As reported by Politico:
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is taking the Polish government to court over missing payments for 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with BioNTech.
The lawsuit, which comes as Poland prepares for a change in government following its October election, marks the culmination of a 19-month struggle between Warsaw and Pfizer over a glut of vaccine doses.
But the roots of the clash can be traced back further: to the enormous 1.1 billion-dose contract the European Commission signed with Pfizer in 2021, which has become controversial for the reported exchange of text messages between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in the run-up to negotiations.
“Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking to hold Poland to its commitments for COVID-19 vaccine orders placed by the Polish Government, as part of their contract to supply the European Union signed in May 2021,” a spokesperson for Pfizer told POLITICO, adding that BioNTech is also joining the proceedings.
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