Hacker News Reader

Comment by fab1an | Hacker News Reader

Germany has a "homemade" vaccine (BioNTech), in fact it was the first reliable vaccine on the market, and pioneering an entirely new medical paradigm at it, but the EC botched the process of acquiring it.

View on HN

Yes, I know that the brains behind the vaccine are the people from BioNTech, but without the engineering, manufacturing and delivery guaranteed by Pfizer, we would have been in a bad spot here in the EU. Research is great, but implementation is what kills us... and bureaucracy.

How can you botch acquiring something being developed and made in own country?

That is what we have been asking us for more than two months. This almost looks like sabotage.

Because it is not made in Germany. Pfizer is responsible for producing it and their plants are primarily in the US.

I don't think that's the case, the US isn't exporting any vaccines afaik and the EU doses are primarily produced in Europe.

The manufacturing of the vaccine is a three-stage process[0]:

The First stage is done in the US.

The second stage is done in the US and Germany.

The third stage is done in the US and Belgium.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizer–BioNTech_COVID-19_vacci...

The Pfizer-Biontec being used in Europe is, generally, produced by Pfizer (and Biontec) plants in Europe.

Mainly, by signing the orders to late and to to few doses. Which held back extension of the production capacities. In the meantime, a new production site in Germany went operational (Marburg) and increased the output of BioNTech. In Q3 there is probably enough production to supply Germany, but that means at least one more quarter where people and businesses die.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com