Pfizer's Executive Says European COVID-19 Vaccine Contract Negotiations Did Not Happen Over Text Message

A Pfizer Inc PFE executive has "categorically" ruled out that the pharma giant's chief executive agreed on the European COVID-19 contract via mobile phone text messages.

The executive was involved in negotiating a COVID-19 vaccine bulk supply agreement with the European Commission. The European Commission signed a third contract with BioNTech SE BNTX and Pfizer for an additional 1.8 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The new agreement will initially supply 900 million doses of the vaccine with an option to request up to an additional 900 million doses.

"As to whether a contract negotiation such as this contract which you referred to, 1.8 billion doses, was negotiated through an SMS, I can categorically tell you that would not be the case," Janine Small, president of international developed markets at Pfizer, told the European Parliament's special committee on COVID-19 on Monday.

Reuters report says that the executive also added that such talks involve far too many people on both sides and take far too long to be conducted via mobile phone texts. "I know that because I was involved in all the negotiations and discussions starting in 2020," Small said.

In an interview with the New York Times in April 2021, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had exchanged texts with CEO Albert Bourla for a month while the contract was under negotiation, prompting calls to publish the exchange.

The Commission said it no longer had the texts, which later drew criticism from the European Union's ombudswoman.

Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.72% at $42.02 on the last check Monday.