<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and BioNTech are suing the governments of Poland and Hungary alleging they failed to pay for vaccines ordered during the Covid pandemic, lawyers said today.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>EU member countries ordered vaccines for their population through a joint purchase scheme, and so the companies are bringing their case before the courts in Belgium, the European Commission’s host country.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the law firm representing Poland in the case, the US and German companies are demanding that Poland pay a debt of 5.6 billion zlotys, or €1.3 billion, plus interest.</div><div><br></div><div>Hungary is also accused of breach of contract, but a source close to the case told AFP that Budapest faces a much smaller claim of €60 million for three million vaccine doses.</div><div><br></div><div>Pfizer confirmed the cases were underway but would not confirm the sums demanded, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking to recover money owed for Covid-19 vaccine orders which were contractually agreed with these governments, as part of their contract to supply the European Union signed in May 2021,” the two companies said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>