"Will Only Work With Centre," Says Pfizer As States' Vaccine Bids Falter

American companies Pfizer and Moderna have turned down requests to supply Delhi and Punjab with their vaccines - both citing official policy.

States scrambling to buy Covid vaccines directly from foreign manufacturers - to boost what they say is insufficient supply from the centre - seem to be running into a roadblock in some cases, with at least two pharmaceutical giants refusing to sell to them. American companies Pfizer and Moderna have turned down requests to supply Delhi and Punjab with their vaccines. Both cited official policy and said they would only deal with the centre. "Pfizer will supply COVID-19 vaccines only to central governments for deployment in national immunisation programmes. Allocation of doses and implementation plan within a country is a decision for local governments based on relevant health authority guidelines," the company said. The company also said discussions with the centre - to roll out its vaccine in India - were "ongoing". Emergency use approval for the drug has been held up, news agency Reuters reported last week, over Pfizer's demands for legal indemnity from claims linked to its product.