Russia cuts Sputnik vaccine price in half, Pfizer “wants to increase” | Abroad

Sputnik V was approved by Russian authorities in August, the first of its kind in the world. The most important tests (stage 3) were not completed at that time. It later turned out to be an effective vaccine.

Sputnik is now used in Hungary, among other countries, although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not given the green light yet. The drug is registered in 36 countries, in addition to Russia, according to Moscow.

The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, for example, are somewhat more expensive than the Russian ones. AstraZeneca is the cheapest version. Earlier, a Belgian minister revealed that the price of two doses for European Union countries is 1.78 euros.

Pfizer

Pfizer will also consider raising the price, perhaps three or fourfold, according to analysts. Pfizer’s CEO, Chief Financial Officer Frank D’Amilio, said according to a drug website, that “of course” “price hikes” are being considered “after pandemic prices.”

Pfizer is said to have contacted the European Commission last summer to suggest vaccines at € 54 per dose. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported this on Monday. The European Union finally negotiated a price of 15.50 euros. This applies to 500 million doses. That’s enough to “use it at least in part after the pandemic,” Diamellio says.

After that, vaccines may become more expensive. According to Pfizer itself, the vaccine price is usually about five to seven times higher than it was during the pandemic, so the increase can be justified. These are “extraordinary times, and our prices reflect that,” read a company statement for Fierce Pharma.