Executives from Pfizer Thailand have met with the Minister of Public Health to discuss the government’s deal to import Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in Thailand’s inoculation program, with 10-20 million doses tentatively due to arrive in the latter half of this year.
Executives of Pfizer Thailand, the local office of the multinational pharmaceutical company in the country, on 7 May 2021, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, to elaborate on the company’s proposed plan to supply COVID-19 vaccine to the country.
After the meeting, Anutin revealed that the company had confirmed it can deliver 10-20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the country in Q3-4 this year, based on the order from the Ministry of Public Health.
The Ministry of Public Health has now asked Pfizer to submit the necessary documents and data to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for approval of the emergency use of their vaccine, as the company has insisted the vaccine deal can only be made with the government or a government agency.
Thailand is now in talks with several vaccine manufacturers to secure more COVID-19 vaccine supplies, in addition to Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.
The vaccine procurement task force chaired by Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, has reached a conclusion that the government will be procuring more vaccines from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and the Gamaleya Research Institute which produces Sputnik V vaccine.
The task force has urged the Food and Drugs Administration to encourage more vaccine manufacturers and distributors to file for regulatory approval of their vaccines in Thailand. (NNT)
