Authorities "Verifying Authenticity of Pfizer Vaccines Introduced in Daegu"… Pfizer "Not Approved" (Comprehensive)

Private Trade Company Proposal Met with Pfizer's Rebuttal: "Vaccine Supply Only to Central Governments and Supranational International Organizations"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Authorities have stated that careful verification is needed regarding media reports that Daegu City is pursuing the procurement of 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 prevention independently from the government’s introduction plan.

On the 1st, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said during a background briefing, "A foreign trading company in Daegu has proposed supplying tens of millions of doses of vaccines produced by Germany’s BioNTech, but this is not a proposal from Pfizer or BioNTech," adding, "We have requested Pfizer to verify the authenticity of the products and are currently confirming."

On the same day, a media outlet reported that Daegu City, the Daegu Medical Association, and the medical organization MedCity Daegu Council are pushing to procure a separate quantity of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine apart from the amount secured by the government.

Son said, "We believe that only Pfizer contracts vaccine supply with the Korean government," and raised doubts, saying, "Pfizer and BioNTech are currently supplying vaccines only to national governments or supranational organizations like COVAX, so it is necessary to verify how a private trading company could possess the products."

He continued, "In the case of the AstraZeneca vaccine, there were proposals from foreign private companies or individuals claiming they could supply it, but upon verification, many were not feasible, so we are carefully verifying such proposals."

Son added, "Even if the products are genuine, certification regarding the quality and safety of the vaccines is also necessary," and said, "Pfizer vaccines have strict storage conditions, and if refrigeration conditions are not maintained, there is a risk of deterioration."

He also stated, "Quality certification and approval processes by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety are separately required," and explained, "Verification of the vaccine manufacturing plants is necessary, and since the vaccination doses provided by the foreign trading company differ from those received from Pfizer, we are confirming the proposed vaccine information and verifying authenticity with the global headquarters."

On the same day, Pfizer Korea immediately issued an official statement saying, "We have not approved this."

Pfizer Korea stated, "In the pandemic situation, Pfizer supplies COVID-19 vaccines only to central governments of countries and supranational international organizations worldwide," and added, "Neither Pfizer headquarters nor Pfizer Korea has authorized any organization to import, sell, or distribute Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.