According to a document from Germany’s Ministry of Health, the German government is “keen to enter into talks” with the new US administration to agree changes to US policies that prioritize the delivery of local coronavirus vaccines to US manufacturing facilities.
In a comprehensive document published Tuesday that responded to questions from the German Social Democrats, the Department of Health outlines why the US was able to secure additional supplies of BioNTech / Pfizer vaccines for specific dates while supplying of the EU will come 2021. ”
The Department of Health states that an executive order from the US president meant that manufacturing facilities in the country “are being encouraged to initially make vaccines available for delivery in the US.” This meant that European production sites for the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, as well as the Moderna vaccine, had to supply the rest of the world in addition to Europe.
“Both the corporations and the federal government are eager to talk to the new US government to make adjustments,” the Department of Health wrote.
The document also discussed Germany’s bilateral deal with BioNTech / Pfizer – something the Commission has let go of Germany for, even though it appears to go against the bloc’s attempts to develop a unified vaccine strategy.
This is the funding that BioNTech receives from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Health explained. This money meant that BioNTech had to deliver some of the vaccines to Germany. As a result, the Department of Health was required to issue a pre-contractual letter of intent in the form of a memorandum of understanding for 30 million additional doses of the vaccine on Sept. 8, the Department of Health wrote.