By Chayut Setboonsarng
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Germany’s BioNTech on Thursday denied it was in talks with Thailand’s Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl for a deal to import 20 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Thailand.
Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl had said it would sign a private order for 20 million doses of the Pfizer- BioNTech, news of which saw the hospitals operator’s share price leap over 13%.
“We are not in negotiations with the company,” BioNTech said in an e-mailed responding to a Reuters query about the deal. It also denied it was negotiations with any Thai entity.
Company chairman Boon Vanasin had told Reuters a deal would be signed on Thursday, with BioNTech, the German firm that jointly developed the mRNA vaccine with Pfizer. Asked about the denial, Boon said: “We are not doing it directly.”
Pfizer did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Thailand is in the early stages of its mass COVID-19 vaccinations programme and is struggling to suppress its most severe wave of infections.
It has relied heavily on the AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines but is seeing increased appetite for mRNA type vaccines, after concern about efficacy. The majority of the mRNA vaccines ordered will not arrive until the final quarter.
Boon said a licensed importer would make an announcement of the deal. “I want it to conclude this week or next,” he said.
Boon, who has been a vocal critic of the government’s vaccine policy, said he had asked for a delivery of five million doses this month.
Shares of the hospital group rose as much 13.45% at 05:40 GMT with the benchmark index up 0.62% on earlier reports of the plans.
The state drugmaker, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, on Wednesday said it had filed a defamation suit against Boon over his criticism of its role in the procurement of Moderna vaccines.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, additional reporting by Kay Johnson; Editing by Martin Petty and Philippa Fletcher)
