President Moon Meets Pfizer Chairman... Interest in Vaccination for Youth and Children

President Moon: "Need for Early Supply by Expanding Vaccination Age"... Pfizer Chairman: "Will Consider Seriously and Carefully"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 21st (local time), President Moon Jae-in met with Albert Bourla, chairman of Pfizer, and exchanged opinions on expanding the vaccination age and booster shot issues. In particular, President Moon showed interest in the COVID-19 vaccination issue for not only adolescents but also children aged 5 to 11.

Park Kyung-mi, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated, "At 9:30 a.m. today, President Moon met with Albert Bourla, chairman of Pfizer, and exchanged mutual opinions on vaccine cooperation measures between Korea and Pfizer."

Spokesperson Park explained, "Today's meeting with the Pfizer chairman was conducted as part of vaccine diplomacy, which President Moon has been prioritizing above all in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon has previously achieved results such as early supply of contracted quantities and securing essential comparator vaccines for domestic vaccine development by meeting global pharmaceutical company representatives either face-to-face or via video calls during his visit to the U.S. in May and the G7 summit tour in June.

President Moon asked the Pfizer chairman about the controversy over whether booster shots should be administered not only to high-risk groups but also to the general public. The Pfizer chairman responded that similar debates exist in the U.S. and mentioned cases in Israel, France, Germany, and the U.K., stating that from Pfizer's perspective, booster shots are necessary.

Spokesperson Park explained, "President Moon asked about vaccinating children not only aged 12 to 17 but also those aged 5 to 11, and the Pfizer chairman replied that according to recent studies, children aged 5 to 11 can achieve the same effect with only one-third of the vaccine dose."

President Moon said, "I hope that additional procurement contracts will proceed smoothly following the first contract next year," and added, "It is necessary to receive early supply of the contracted quantities as much as possible through booster shots and expanding the vaccination age." The Pfizer chairman said, "We will keep the requests in mind and seriously review them," and added, "Since there is some leeway next year, if the agreement is concluded quickly, there will be opportunities for early supply."

The Pfizer chairman expressed gratitude and respect for Korean science and technology and mentioned having worked with Korean companies such as Samsung. He emphasized that Pfizer produces vaccines beyond COVID-19 and also produces treatments for other diseases, indicating there is much room to strengthen cooperation with Korea.

President Moon said, "If Pfizer's excellent vaccine development capabilities and Korea's production capacity are combined, we can supply more vaccines worldwide and contribute to increasing vaccination rates even in developing countries," and added, "Korea is currently contract-manufacturing four types of COVID-19 vaccines, and since there have been no issues so far, our production capacity can be trusted." The Pfizer chairman responded, "We are well aware of that."

President Moon stated, "The Korean government welcomes cooperation with Pfizer in pharmaceutical research, development, and production, and the Korean government will actively support smooth cooperation."