Public-Private Partnership Builds Africa’s First Multi-Vaccine Production Plant
European investors have announced their partnership with South African biopharmaceutical company The Biovac Institute in building Africa’s first end-to-end multi-vaccine manufacturing facility in South Africa. Biovac projects to annually produce tens of millions of doses of vaccines for cholera, polio, and pneumonia. The plant will be the continent’s first end-to-end vaccine manufacturing plant, and the […]
Poland, Romania Resist Brussels Court Order to Pay $2.2 Billion to Pfizer
A court in Belgium has ordered Poland and Romania to proceed with paying €1.9 billion ($2.2 billion) for purchasing mRNA COVID-19 shots from Pfizer, Inc. and BioNTech SE in a case brought by Pfizer three years ago. The lawsuit and court judgement has intensified a broader legal dispute over mRNA COVID shot contracts signed by […]
European Commission Probes Sanofi for Possible Antitrust Violations Related to Flu Shots
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said that European Commission (EC) officials carried out unannounced inspections at its premises in France and Germany as part of an investigation into its conduct in the seasonal influenza vaccine market.1 It is not clear whether the investigation has any impact beyond Europe, but Sanofi produces influenza vaccines for the U.S. […]
Argentina Will Follow U.S. and Exit the World Health Organization
On Feb. 5, 2025, Argentina announced that it would leave the World Health Organization (WHO), following the example of the United States after President Donald Trump announced in an Executive Order (EO) on Jan. 20, 2025 that the U.S. would exit and stop supporting the global health agency.1 Similar to the reasons that Trump cited […]
Switzerland No Longer Recommends COVID Shot for All Citizens
The government of Switzerland has stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for its citizens, including those who fall in the high-risk category, such as pregnant women and persons 65 years of age and older. Swiss government officials say the new policy is an outgrowth of the large number of people in that country who have recovered from […]
Canadians May Have to Get COVID Booster Shot Every Nine Months
On July 4, 2022, Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Canadians may be required to get a COVID-19 booster shot every nine months to protect themselves against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Duclos said, “The virus evolves and Omicron made us aware we will never be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. We have to maintain our […]