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Poland sued for EUR 1.4 bn over uncollected COVID-19 vaccines

23.11.2023 13:30
Poland has been sued for PLN 6 billion (EUR 1.4 billion) by pharmaceuticals firm Pfizer over 60 million uncollected COVID-19 vaccine doses, officials have said.
Photo:
Photo:PAP/Leszek Szymański

The initial hearing before a court in Brussels in scheduled for December 6, the health ministry in Warsaw said on Thursday. 

Pfizer took Poland to court after yearlong negotiations that failed to produce a settlement, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

In April last year, the Polish government asked Pfizer to cancel production and shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Poland, as the country faced the "higher necessity" of providing support to war-torn Ukraine, following Russia's February 2022 invasion, the health ministry said.

Poland also notified the European Union's executive Commission, and sought to reach a compromise with Pfizer, according to the government.

EU officials took part in the talks, the Polish health ministry told reporters.

"Pfizer's representatives failed to propose concrete solutions" and the yearlong negotiations ended without a settlement, according to the Polish government.

Pfizer filed a EUR 1.4 billion lawsuit against Poland over 60 million uncollected doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and the first hearing is due before a Brussels court on December 6, the health ministry said in a statement.

Health Minister Katarzyna Sójka said in a media interview on Wednesday that she was hopeful for "a positive resolution" to the dispute, the PAP news agency reported.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, Rynek Zdrowia