Pfizer Sues Hungary over Non-Payment under Vaccine Supply Contract
American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have filed a lawsuit against the Hungarian government for breach of contract for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Politico reported.
The lawsuit concerns the payment for 3 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine worth around €60 million. The dispute began after Hungary informed Pfizer in November 2022 that it did not intend to pay, citing the war in Ukraine.
In January 2023, Pfizer filed a lawsuit against Hungary in a Belgian court, and in March the court held a preliminary hearing and rejected Pfizer's request for an expedited ruling. Since then, the case has not progressed, Politico reported.
A Pfizer spokesperson confirmed the fact that the case is being heard in a Belgian court. "Discussions with the government in Budapest are ongoing," the company added.
Pfizer's lawsuit against Hungary is parallel to a similar lawsuit against Poland. In both cases, the countries are being sued for their refusal to accept and pay for deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines that they had contracted.
The Polish dispute concerns the delivery of 60 million doses of vaccines, which the country refused to accept in April 2022 due to force majeure circumstances - the burden on its finances due to the influx of refugees after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the Brussels Court of First Instance held a brief preliminary hearing in the Pfizer v. Poland case. Both sides agreed to postpone the hearing until January 30.
The two Pfizer lawsuits are part of a growing number of investigations into COVID-19 vaccine procurement in the EU during the pandemic.
In Romania, an investigation is underway against former Prime Minister Florin Cîțu and two former health ministers who are accused of allegedly purchasing too many COVID-19 vaccines and thereby causing the state losses of over €1 billion.
And the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which is responsible for fighting financial crime in the EU, announced in October last year that it had launched an investigation into COVID-19 vaccine procurement, without specifying against whom the investigation is being conducted.
As The Gaze reported, in early autumn it became known that the American agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which deals with the fight against infectious diseases, is preparing for a comprehensive vaccination campaign against the latest variants of COVID-19.
It is planned to introduce updated COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as seasonal flu vaccinations.