The nasal spray, used to vaccinate children and youths against flu, was the source of tensions between British-Swedish AstraZeneca and the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH), it was reported earlier this week.
The Keystone-SDA news agency wrote on Sunday that the FOPH claimed AstraZeneca was asking for remuneration at more than twice the price of comparable products.
Following the pricing disagreements, the company thus decided to simply give up on efforts to put the vaccine on the market and to give the 10,000 doses away, rather than waiting until they expired. They are currently sitting in a warehouse owned by a third-party company in canton Bern.
Astrazeneca says that the vaccines can be ordered free of charge by doctors and medical personnel, on condition that they also pass it on free of charge to patients.
More
More
How vaccine technology, choice and supply work in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Swiss Covid-19 vaccination campaign is up and running. How do the vaccine technologies work and compare?
According to the latest estimates by the FOPH, the flu situation in Switzerland is not currently more acute than in previous years. There were fears that this autumn-winter could see a severe flu season after the past few years dominated by Covid-19.
In mid-October the FOPH nevertheless issued a flu vaccination recommendation to all people belonging to a risk category, as well as their family members.
Switzerland commits CHF50 million to combat rural poverty worldwide
This content was published on
The Federal Council approved a contribution of CHF49.5 million ($54.1 million) for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Arrests made in raid against Turkish criminal organisation
This content was published on
A cross-border raid against a Turkish criminal organisation was conducted, including property searches in cantons Aargau and Zurich.
Up to 4,000 Swiss army soldiers to protect Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The Federal Council has authorised deployment of army personnel for the Ukraine peace conference on the Bürgenstock in June.
This content was published on
The business association, Swissmem, reports that there are increasing signs that the bottom of the downturn will be reached this year.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.