Alexandru Rogobete, the Minister of Health, said Thursday evening, April 2, on Antena 3 CNN, that Romania could negotiate with Pfizer the supply of innovative drugs instead of the ordered and refused vaccine doses, which it is now obliged to take and for which it owes 700 million euros to the company, according to the recent decision of a court in Brussels.
The official stated that the scenario will be analyzed starting next week and that he does not rule out such an approach.
“I do not rule out this negotiation scenario either“, stated Rogobete, adding that he intends to attend the discussions with Pfizer representatives in person.
The Ministry of Finance is preparing several payment options
Asked how Romania will pay the amount determined by the Belgian court, the Minister of Health explained that discussions have taken place with the Ministry of Finance and that new meetings are coming to identify the solution with the least impact on the budget.
“They will come up with 2-3 scenarios. We are trying to find the option that has the least impact, in a short time, on the state budget“, said Rogobete, emphasizing that the possibility of avoiding the full payment of the amount is also being analyzed, if there are solid legal arguments.
The Pfizer trial
We remind you that Romania lost the lawsuit filed by Pfizer regarding the contract for anti-Covid vaccines, after the Romanian authorities refused to buy the contracted doses, citing the drop in demand.
The court in Brussels decided that the Romanian state must take over all the refused doses and fully pay the contract, valued at approximately 600-700 million euros.
The decision is enforceable, but not final, and can be appealed.
