CENTRE, PFIZER LOOK TO RESOLVE INDEMNITY ROW

NEW DELHI/NEW YORK: Pfizer and the Indian government are seeking to resolve tensions over a demand by the US drugmaker for legal protection from any claims linked to the use of its Covid-19 vaccine in one of the world’s biggest markets, people familiar with the matter told news agency Reuters.

India has not given any manufacturer of a Covid-19 vaccine indemnity against the costs of compensation for any severe side effects, which is a condition Pfizer has obtained in many countries where its shots have been widely used, including Britain and the United States.

But three other officials aware of the developments told Reuters that some form of legal protection is still on the table as India and Pfizer work to reach a vaccine deal.

Reaching an agreement with Pfizer is critical for Indian government, which is struggling to secure needed Covid-19 vaccine doses as recorded daily cases exceed 250,000. Indian officials said this week that 98% of its population of about 1.3 billion remains susceptible to infection.

India’s foreign minister plans to visit the United States in the coming weeks in part to ease Pfizer’s concerns, one of the sources said. He could offer Pfizer some form of protection from lawsuits in exchange for the company providing additional assistance with distributing its shots in India, two other sources said.

The Indian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One of the sources added that the two parties discussed the indemnity issue as recently as late this week but have not yet reached a resolution.

A Pfizer spokeswoman said that the company is still in talks with India on a deal and they have not reached an impasse, adding that Pfizer remains hopeful about reaching an agreement. Pfizer has been consistent in its position on indemnity and is not planning to change its approach for a deal with India, one of the sources said.