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First foreign COVID vaccines head to China from Germany

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  • Batch of BioNTech shots on the way to China
  • German citizens will get shot; Berlin pushes for wider use
  • Shipment comes after Scholz visit to China last month
  • Comes as infections spike in world’s No. 2 economy

BERLIN, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Berlin has sent its first batch of BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccines to China to be administered initially to German expatriates, a German government spokesperson said on Wednesday, the first foreign coronavirus vaccine to be delivered to the country.

No details were available on the timing and size of the delivery, although the spokesperson said Berlin is pushing for foreigners other than German nationals, estimated at about 20,000, to be allowed access to the shot if they want it.

The shipment comes after China agreed to allow German nationals in China to get the shot following a deal during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit in Beijing last month, with the German leader pressing for Beijing to allow the shot to be made freely available to Chinese citizens as well.

In a letter to be sent to German citizens in mainland China, the government said it would offer basic immunisations and booster shots of vaccines approved for use in the European Union for free to anyone over 12 years of age.

Family members of other nationalities would not be included. Vaccinations for children under 12 may follow at a later date.

“We are working on the possibility that besides Germans also other foreigners can be vaccinated with BioNTech,” the spokesperson told journalists in Berlin.

The shots will be delivered to German companies in China as well as embassy locations and talks are underway with other EU governments about getting them to citizens of other nationalities, a source familiar with the situation said.

China would need to approve expanding access beyond German nationals, the source said.

In return, Chinese citizens in Europe can be vaccinated with China’s SinoVac (SVA.O), the spokesperson said.

The comment comes after a report earlier this month that Germany’s health ministry had granted a permit allowing China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be imported to Germany to be given to Chinese citizens in that country.

The shot has not been approved for use by Europe’s drug regulator, but the World Health Organization has given its green light for its use.

Beijing has so far insisted on using only domestically produced vaccines, which are not based on the Western mRNA technology but on more traditional technologies.

The shipment comes amid Beijing dismantling its strict “zero-COVID” regime of lockdowns, which has led to a surge of cases that caught a fragile health system unprepared.

Experts predict that the country of 1.4 billion people could face more than a million COVID deaths next year.

Allowing German expats access to a Western shot is a big gesture to Berlin, reflecting Beijing’s effort to strengthen ties with EU’s biggest economy after years of tensions over trade and climate between the two countries.

Shares in BioNTech rose on news of the shipment, closing 2.3% higher in Frankfurt while Pfizer shares in New York were up 1.25% in late morning New York trade.

BioNTech was not immediately available to comment on the situation on Wednesday.

China is stuck between rising Covid-19 cases and stalled vaccination rates

NO WESTERN SHOTS

China has nine domestically developed COVID vaccines approved for use, more than any other country. But none has been updated to target the highly infectious Omicron variant, as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna (MRNA.O) have for boosters in many developed countries.

The two shots developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are the most widely used around the world.

Early on in the pandemic, BioNTech struck a deal with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (600196.SS) with a view to supply the shots to greater China.

While the shots became available in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the regulatory review for mainland China has not been concluded. BioNTech has said that decision was up to Chinese regulators and has not given a reason for the delay.

China’s zero-COVID policy and lockdown measures have kept death and infection rates minimal over the past months but caused massive disruptions both domestically and in global trade and supply chains.

China uses a narrow definition of COVID deaths and reported no new fatalities for Tuesday, even crossing one off its overall tally since the pandemic began, now at 5,241 – a fraction of the tolls of many much less populous countries.

The National Health Commission said on Tuesday only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure in patients who had the virus are classified as COVID deaths.

Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Alexander Ratz and Christian Kraemer; additional reporting by Danilo Masoni in Milan and Amanda Cooper in London;
Writing by Miranda Murray;
Editing by Josephine Mason and David Evans

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Thomas Escritt

Thomson Reuters

Berlin correspondent who has investigated anti-vaxxers and COVID treatment practices, reported on refugee camps and covered warlords’ trials in The Hague. Earlier, he covered Eastern Europe for the Financial Times. He speaks Hungarian, German, French and Dutch.

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Health

Addiction drug shows promise lifting long COVID brain fog, fatigue

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CHICAGO, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Lauren Nichols, a 34-year-old logistics expert for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Boston, has been suffering from impaired thinking and focus, fatigue, seizures, headache and pain since her COVID-19 infection in the spring of 2020.

Last June, her doctor suggested low doses of naltrexone, a generic drug typically used to treat alcohol and opioid addiction.

After more than two years of living in “a thick, foggy cloud,” she said, “I can actually think clearly.”

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Researchers chasing long COVID cures are eager to learn whether the drug can offer similar benefits to millions suffering from pain, fatigue and brain fog months after a coronavirus infection.

The drug has been used with some success to treat a similar complex, post-infectious syndrome marked by cognitive deficits and overwhelming fatigue called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Drawing on its use in ME/CFS and a handful of long COVID pilot studies, there are now at least four clinical trials planned to test naltrexone in hundreds of patients with long COVID, according to a Reuters review of Clinicaltrials.gov and interviews with 12 ME/CFS and long COVID researchers.

It is also on the short list of treatments to be tested in the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s $1 billion RECOVER Initiative, which aims to uncover underlying causes and find treatments for long COVID, advisers to the trial told Reuters.

Unlike treatments aimed at addressing specific symptoms caused by COVID damage to organs, such as the lungs, low-dose naltrexone (LDN) may reverse some of the underlying pathology driving symptoms, they said.

Naltrexone has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used at low doses for years to treat conditions such as fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, said Dr. Jarred Younger, director of the Neuro-inflammation, Pain and Fatigue Laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

At 50 milligrams – 10 times the low dose – naltrexone is approved to treat opioid and alcohol addiction. Several generic manufacturers sell 50mg pills, but low-dose naltrexone must be purchased through a compounding pharmacy.

Younger, author of a scientific review of the drug as a novel anti-inflammatory, in September submitted a grant application to study LDN for long COVID. “It should be at the top of everyone’s list for clinical trials,” he said.

Still, the drug is unlikely to help all patients with long COVID, a collection of some 200 symptoms ranging from pain and heart palpitations to insomnia and cognitive impairment. One 218-patient ME/CFS study found 74% had improvements in sleep, reduced pain and neurological disturbances.

“It’s not a panacea,” said Jaime Seltzer, a Stanford researcher and head of scientific outreach for the advocacy group MEAction. “These people weren’t cured, but they were helped.”

‘HUMAN AGAIN’ Dr. Jack Lambert, an infectious disease expert at University College Dublin School of Medicine, had used LDN to treat pain and fatigue associated with chronic Lyme disease.

During the pandemic, Lambert recommended LDN to colleagues treating patients with lingering symptoms after bouts of COVID.

It worked so well that he ran a pilot study among 38 long COVID patients. They reported improvements in energy, pain, concentration, insomnia and overall recovery from COVID-19 after two months, according to findings published in July.

Lambert, who is planning a larger trial to confirm those results, said he believes LDN may repair damage of the disease rather than mask its symptoms.

Other planned LDN trials include one by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and a pilot study by Ann Arbor, Michigan-based startup AgelessRx. That study of 36 volunteers should have results by year-end, said company co-founder Sajad Zalzala.

Scientists are still working on explaining the mechanism for how LDN might work.

Experiments by Dr. Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik of the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases in Australia suggest ME/CFS and long COVID symptoms arise from a significant reduction in function of natural killer cells in the immune system. In laboratory experiments, LDN may have helped restore their normal function, a theory that must still be confirmed.

Others believe infections trigger immune cells in the central nervous system called microglia to produce cytokines, inflammatory molecules that cause fatigue and other symptoms associated with ME/CFS and long COVID. Younger believes naltrexone calms these hypersensitized immune cells.

Dr. Zach Porterfield, a virologist at the University of Kentucky who co-chairs a RECOVER task force looking at commonalities with other post-infectious syndromes, said it has recommended LDN be included in RECOVER’s treatment trials.

Other therapies under consideration, sources said, were antivirals, such as Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) Paxlovid, anti-clotting agents, steroids and nutritional supplements. RECOVER officials said they have received dozens of proposals and could not comment on which drugs will be tested until trials are finalized.

Dr. Hector Bonilla, co-director of the Stanford Post-Acute COVID-19 Clinic and a RECOVER adviser, has used LDN in 500 ME/CFS patients, with about half reporting benefits.

He studied LDN in 18 long COVID patients, with 11 showing improvements, and said he believes larger, formal trials could determine whether LDN offers a true benefit.

Nichols, a patient adviser to RECOVER, was “ecstatic” when she learned LDN was being considered for the government-funded trials.

While LDN has not fixed all her COVID-related problems, Nichols can now work all day without breaks and have a social life at home.

“It has made me feel like a human again.”

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Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Health

‘We’re done with dead kids’: U.S. bars are handing out free fentanyl tests

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OAKLAND, Calif., April 20 (Reuters) – Walking into the Good Hop craft beer bar in Oakland, California, Alison Heller looks like any other patron thirsting for happy hour.

But instead of heading to the bar, she goes straight to the bathroom, opens her backpack and pulls out a plastic bag with fentanyl test strips. She puts 25 strips in a jar for anyone to take for free.

“If you’re going to use drugs here, you can test them,” said Heller, a co-founder of the harm-reduction nonprofit FentCheck.

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Strips to test drugs for the presence of the deadly synthetic opioid are becoming more commonplace in bars, restaurants and venues as the country grapples with the opioid epidemic and soaring death toll. read more

Fentanyl has flooded U.S. streets and contributed to nearly 500,000 U.S. opioid overdose deaths over two decades, with the COVID-19 pandemic worsening the situation. Fentanyl, which is 100 times more potent than morphine, produces effects similar to other opioids, like sedation, drowsiness and nausea. Overdosing can cause respiratory failure leading to death.

Fentanyl overdoses are now the top cause of death among U.S. residents ages 18-45, surpassing suicide, car accidents and COVID, according to an analysis of federal data by opioid awareness organization Families Against Fentanyl.

To prevent such deaths, Heller, FentCheck co-founder Dean Shold and a team of volunteers regularly visit a network of businesses in Oakland, San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia to replenish stocks of the test strips.

“We’re done with dead kids. We’re done with accidental overdoses. We are also serving people who are struggling with drug addiction,” Heller said. “They cannot make it to rehab, they cannot make it to the next step in their sobriety if they die that night.”

FentCheck staples the strips from Canadian company BTNX to simple instructions for users to test their drugs. The results show up – like a pregnancy or COVID-19 test – with lines indicating positive or negative.

“They are cheap, they are super easy to use and read and they give you a yes or a no that you can then use,” said Dr. Kathleen Clanon, medical director of Alameda County, which supports the distribution of fentanyl test strips and funds.

A patron walks near a table with free fentanyl test strips and Narcan at Low Bar in Oakland, California, U.S., March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Nathan Frandino

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“They are very sensitive, meaning that the comparison tests have shown that they are likely to show fentanyl if it’s there and I’m comfortable with that as a community test.”

Melissa Myers, owner of the Good Hop, called it a “no brainer” to offer the strips to her customers and train her staff to use naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses the effect of opioid overdoses.

“We fought to stay alive through COVID and I want them to be able to keep coming here, not die on the street or die at home because they’ve decided to try some new drugs,” said Myers.

Some cities have gone even further in the fight against drug overdoses. One of the nation’s first supervised drug-injection sites opened last year in New York City, allowing users to inject drugs under the supervision of trained staff. read more

Critics say the strips enable drug users. Some states treat them as illegal drug paraphernalia. Legislation to decriminalize the strips is underway in Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee, among others.

Dr. Joey Hensley, a state senator and physician who runs a private practice in Tennessee, voted against the bill there.

“I just don’t think it’s a good policy to make it easier for people addicted to drugs to use drugs,” he said.

Hensley doubts that providing fentanyl test strips would affect drug users’ behavior. “If there are studies that show differently, maybe I would change but I just didn’t think that was a good policy,” he said.

Jason Lujick, owner of The Legionnaire, where test strips sit out on the bar, said lawmakers need to face the facts.

“If you actually care about your constituents and if you actually look at the data that your health departments are throwing out there and you actually care one iota, grow up,” he said.

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Reporting by Nathan Frandino; Writing by Richard Chang; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Business

Six U.S. states do not join $26 bln opioid settlements with distributors, J&J

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Aug 23 (Reuters) – At least six U.S. states, including Georgia, did not fully sign on to a proposed $26 billion settlement with three drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), which have been accused of fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic, according to the states’ attorneys general.

States had until Saturday to decide whether to support the $21 billion proposed settlement with McKesson Corp (MCK.N), AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC.N) and Cardinal Health Inc (CAH.N) and a separate $5 billion agreement with J&J.

But in a sign that talks were continuing despite the passing of the deadline, Georgia – the most populous hold-out state – on Monday indicated it could wind up backing the agreement.

“We have not rejected the deal, but we have not joined because at the present time joining the national settlements does not guarantee the best outcome for Georgia and its counties, cities and citizens,” said an emailed statement from the office of the attorney general, Christopher Carr. “We remain active in representing Georgia throughout negotiations, and we’re going to continue to get input from Georgia stakeholders.”

The state will litigate its claims if needed, the statement said.

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Washington and West Virginia also declined to join the deals, their state attorneys general said. New Hampshire agreed to the settlement with distributors but not the J&J agreement.

The complex settlement formula envisions at least 44 states participating, but ultimately the companies get to decide whether a “critical mass” has joined and whether to finalize the deal.

The size of the settlement is based on the number of participating states. Those that decline to join will instead seek a larger recovery by continuing to fight the defendants in the courts. The companies have already paid hundreds of millions in verdicts and other settlements.

The deal, which was unveiled by 14 state attorneys general on July 21, aims to resolve more than 3,000 lawsuits accusing the distributors of ignoring red flags that pain pills were being diverted into communities for illicit uses and that J&J played down the risks of opioid addiction.

The money would go toward funding treatment and other services.

The companies deny wrongdoing, saying the drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that responsibility for ballooning painkiller sales lies with others, including doctors and regulators.

McKesson said the companies have until Sept. 4 to determine if there is sufficient support for the agreements and said that process is ongoing. Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen declined to comment and J&J did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The support of two other states, Nevada and Alabama, also appeared to be in doubt, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Nevada’s attorney general declined to comment and the Alabama attorney general did not respond to a request for comment.

The participation of states is tied closely to that of their local governments, which brought the majority of the lawsuits. Cities and counties within participating states would have through Jan. 2 to sign on. Ultimately, $10.7 billion of the settlement money is tied to the extent to which localities participate.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a lead negotiator, last month said he expected “well north” of 40 states to join.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware;
Editing by Noeleen Walder and Karishma Singh

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Business

U.S. states to unveil $26 billion opioid settlement with drug distributors, J&J – sources

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A Johnson & Johnson building is shown in Irvine, California, U.S., January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake

July 19 (Reuters) – U.S. state attorneys general are expected this week to unveil a $26 billion settlement resolving claims that three major drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson helped fuel a nationwide opioid epidemic, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Distributors McKesson Corp (MCK.N), Cardinal Health Inc (CAH.N) and AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC.N) would pay a combined $21 billion, while Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) would pay $5 billion. New York on Tuesday is expected to announce the distributors have agreed to a $1 billion-plus settlement with the state, a source said.

The ultimate settlement pricetag could fluctuate depending on the number of states and political subdivisions that agree to the deal or reject it and pursue litigation on their own in hopes of a bigger payout down the line.

More than 40 states are expected to support the nationwide settlement, two sources said. States will have 30 days to decide whether to join the global accord then more time to try to convince their cities and counties to participate in the deal, the sources said.

McKesson has previously said that of the $21 billion the three distributors would pay over 18 years, more than 90% would be used to remediate the opioid crisis while the rest, about $2 billion, would be used to pay plaintiffs’ attorney fees and costs.

Several states have passed laws or reached agreements with their political subdivisions to govern how settlement proceeds would be allocated in the event of a nationwide settlement.

The financial terms are in line with prior disclosures by the three distributors and J&J about what they expected to have to pay following long-running settlement talks.

“There continues to be progress toward finalizing this agreement and we remain committed to providing certainty for involved parties and critical assistance for families and communities in need,” J&J said in a statement.

McKesson and Cardinal Health had no comment while AmerisourceBergen said it does not comment on “rumor and speculation.” They have all previously denied wrongdoing.

Nearly 500,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the United States from 1999 to 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The opioid crisis appeared to worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CDC last week said provisional data showed that 2020 was a record year for drug overdose deaths with 93,331, up 29% from a year earlier. Opioids were involved in 74.7%, or 69,710, of those overdose deaths. read more

The distributors were accused of lax controls that allowed massive amounts of addictive painkillers to be diverted into illegal channels, devastating communities, while J&J was accused of downplaying the addiction risk.

Governments have said the money will be used to fund addiction treatment, family support programs, education and other health initiatives to address the crisis.

Other settlements are also being negotiated, with the opioid makers Purdue Pharma and Mallinckrodt Plc (MCDG.MU) now working through the bankruptcy courts to secure support for settlements worth more than $10 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively. read more

The distributors have been in the midst of two trials nationally in the litigation, one in New York and one in West Virginia. They have now agreed to resolve the New York case, a person briefed on the matter said.

The deal with New York Attorney General Letitia James and the populous Long Island counties of Nassau and Suffolk comes three weeks into the first jury trial accusing companies of profiting from a flood of addictive painkillers that devastated communities. read more

Closing arguments are expected in the West Virginia trial next week. Local West Virginia communities had opted out of the proposed nationwide deal to pursue one on their own.

The New York trial will continue against three drugmakers accused of deceptively marketing their painkillers – Endo International Plc (ENDP.O), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) and AbbVie Inc’s (ABBV.N) Allergan unit.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Sandra Maler, Bill Berkot and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Business

Taiwan’s Foxconn, TSMC confirm $350 mln COVID-19 vaccine deal

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Syringes are seen in front of a displayed Biontech logo in this illustration taken November 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

TAIPEI, July 12 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s Foxconn (2317.TW) and TSMC (2330.TW) said on Monday they had reached deals to buy 10 million doses of Germany’s BioNTech SE’s (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine, putting the total cost of the highly politicised deal at around $350 million.

Taiwan’s government has tried for months to buy the vaccine directly from BioNTech and has blamed China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, for nixing an agreement the two sides were due to sign earlier this year. China denies the accusations.

Last month, facing public pressure about the slow pace of Taiwan’s inoculation programme, the government agreed to allow Foxconn’s founder Terry Gou, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), to negotiate on its behalf for the vaccines.

BioNTech’s Chinese sales agent Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (600196.SS) said on Sunday that an agreement had been signed, though no details of a delivery timeframe have been revealed yet.

Gou wrote on his Facebook page that he was “gratified” the deal had been completed, which will see Foxconn and TSMC each buy 5 million doses, to be donated to the government for distribution.

“But we can’t relax, because we will continue to work hard to push for the delivery time and quantity,” he said, adding the vaccines will come directly from Germany.

“However, this batch of vaccines delivered directly from the German factory I believe will help Taiwanese society to increase confidence and offer respite in the face of the epidemic.”

TSMC and Foxconn are major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) suppliers.

Taiwan’s government said it would comment later on Monday.

Gou said Beijing did not interfere in the talks.

“During the negotiation period after my donation was proposed, there was no guidance or interference from the Beijing authorities in the mainland on the vaccine procurement process.”

A person familiar with the negotiations said the first batch of vaccine is expected in September at the earliest, but it was not immediately clear how many doses could be delivered.

The German firm has yet to comment, and Fosun deleted an earlier statement from its WeChat account citing BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin as saying the company was “very grateful” to be able to supply the vaccine to Taiwan.

Fosun did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why those comments were removed.

The BioNTech vaccine drama has transfixed Taiwan and dominated headlines. A major Taiwanese Buddhist group, the Tzu Chi Foundation, is also trying to buy the shots.

Taiwan has millions of vaccines on order, mainly from AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), while the United States and Japan have together donated almost five million doses to the island to help speed up vaccinations.

The person familiar with the talks said the involvement of TSMC and the unconditional U.S. and Japanese vaccine donations had created a global environment that was favourable to Taiwan and made it hard for China to obstruct the deal.

Around one-tenth of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people have received at least one of the two-shot regimen, though Taiwan’s own relatively small domestic coronavirus outbreak is now largely under control.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kim Coghill

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Business

TSMC, Foxconn say they are in process of signing deal for BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines

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Syringes with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to be administered against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lie on a tray during a program without an appointment in Sant Vicenc de Casteller, north of Barcelona, Spain, July 6, 2021. REUTERS/ Albert Gea

TAIPEI, July 11 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s TSMC (2330.TW)and Foxconn said on Sunday they were in the middle of the contract signing process to buy COVID-19 vaccines from Germany’s BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE), part of a drawn out and highly politicised process for Taiwan to access the shot.

Taiwan’s government has tried for months to buy the vaccine directly from BioNTech and has blamed China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, for nixing a deal the two sides were due to sign earlier this year. China denies the accusations.

Last month, facing public pressure about the slow pace of Taiwan’s inoculation programme, the government agreed to allow Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Taiwan’s Foxconn (2317.TW), as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to negotiate on its behalf for the vaccines, which would be donated to Taiwan’s government for distribution.

“There are multiple parties. We are in the middle of the contract signing process. We will make announcements once the process is completed,” TSMC said a statement.

Foxconn used almost exactly the same wording in a separate statement. Neither elaborated.

Both companies are major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) suppliers.

BioNTech and Fosun did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Gou’s spokesperson said: “When there is further news, we will formally explain it to the outside world”. She gave no details.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Premier Su Tseng-chang would only say that talks for the vaccine were ongoing.

“Once there is an definite outcome, we’ll naturally report it to everyone.”

A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that contract talks were “not yet 100% complete”, while another source said while they were close to finalising the deal, uncertainties remained.

“It has become increasingly clear that it is not the Taiwan side who is complicating the signing of the contract,” the second source said, referring to extra “obstacles” set up by Beijing.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not answer calls seeking comment outside of business hours on Sunday.

FOSUN CONTRACT

Gou and TSMC this month reached an initial agreement with a subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (600196.SS), which has a contract with BioNTech to sell the COVID-19 vaccines in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, sources told Reuters previously. read more

Both Gou and TSMC are seeking 5 million doses each.

The BioNTech vaccine drama has transfixed Taiwan and dominated headlines. A major Taiwanese Buddhist group, the Tzu Chi Foundation, is also trying to buy the shots, which were developed jointly with Pfizer (PFE.N). read more

China’s government has repeatedly said that if Taiwan wants the vaccine, it has to respect commercial rules and do it through Fosun.

Germany’s government has also been involved, saying it has been helping in the direct talks between Taiwan and BioNTech.

Taiwan has millions of vaccines on order, mainly from AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), while the United States and Japan have together donated almost five million doses to the island to help speed up vaccinations.

Around one-tenth of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people have received at least one of the two-shot regimen, though Taiwan’s own relatively small domestic coronavirus outbreak is now largely under control.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Taipei newsroom, and Andrew Galbraith in Shanghai; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Health

EXCLUSIVE S.Korea in talks with mRNA vaccine makers to make up to 1 bln doses -govt official

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South Korean senior citizens receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination centre in Seoul, South Korea April 1, 2021. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS

SEOUL, July 5 (Reuters) – South Korea is in talks with mRNA vaccine makers including Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) to produce COVID-19 shots in the country and is ready to offer the capacity to make up to 1 billion doses immediately, a senior government official said.

The plan, if agreed, would help ease tight global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in Asia which lags North America and Europe in vaccine rollouts, and put South Korea a step closer to its ambition to become a major vaccine manufacturing centre.

South Korea already has deals to locally produce three coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca (AZN.L)/Oxford University, Novavax (NVAX.O), and Russia. It also has a vaccine bottling and packaging deal with Moderna.

“We’ve been holding frequent talks with big pharmaceutical companies to produce mRNA vaccines,” Lee Kang-ho, director general for the global vaccine hub committee under South Korea’s health ministry, told Reuters in an interview.

“There are only a few mRNA vaccine developers – Pfizer, Moderna, CureVac and BioNTech. Thus there’s a limit to how much they can produce to meet global demand… South Korea is keen to help by offering its facilities and skilled human resources,” Lee said.

It’s not immediately clear how advanced these talks are and whether and when a deal will be agreed.

BioNTech (22UAy.DE) declined to comment, Moderna and CureVac (5CV.DE) did not reply to Reuters’ requests for comments.

A Pfizer spokesperson said the company is making efforts to enhance its COVID-19 vaccine supply chain but added “we do not have anything specific to announce at this time.”

Lee declined to name local vaccine makers which have the capacity to produce mRNA vaccines immediately, but a government source said they include Hanmi Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd (128940.KS) and Quratis Co Ltd.

Hanmi confirmed that it has a big capacity reserved for Sanofi’s (SASY.PA) diabetes drug and it can be used for COVID-19 vaccine production as the Sanofi project has stalled.

“We happen to have this facility available right now because our clinical trial (with Sanofi) was discontinued in the middle of last year,” Kim Soo-jin, senior vice president of Hanmi, told Reuters.

“It’s very timely that we have a fully ready, GMP, state-of-the-art facility available,” she said, referring to good manufacturing practice.

Quratis, which makes a tuberculosis vaccine, said its new factory built last year can now be used for mRNA vaccine production.

Shares in Hanmi erased early losses and rose nearly 4% on Monday after the Reuters report.

COLLABORATION WITH WHO

South Korea has stepped up its effort to produce more vaccines since U.S. President Joe Biden in May agreed with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on a comprehensive partnership on COVID-19 vaccines. read more

Lee said his team is having frequent video conference calls with the vaccine makers and the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told Reuters the organisation is “talking with South Korea and other countries,” but did not elaborate.

The WHO said last month it will set up a hub in South Africa to manufacture mRNA vaccines within 9-12 months that will give companies from poor and middle-income countries the know-how and licenses to produce COVID-19 vaccines. read more

Lee said mRNA vaccine makers may be reluctant to share their technology, but they can take advantage of South Korea’s raw material suppliers to address a global shortage of such ingredients as lipids, nucleotides and capping reagents.

“They’re capable of manufacturing and developing such raw materials to help vaccine makers… and the South Korean government is committed to provide all necessary support including financial and administrative aid.”

Lee said the country also has a capacity for at least another 500 million doses of fill-and-finish vaccines apart from the deal Moderna announced with Samsung BioLogics (207940.KS) in May.

Reporting by Sangmi Cha in Seoul; Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Michael Erman in New York and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Raju Gopalakrishnan

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