Cts, Iss and Pfizer deny Arcuri on syringes for the anti Covid vaccine
Cts, Iss and Pfizer did not recommend Arcuri on the (more expensive) screw-on syringes for the Covid vaccine, unlike what the Covid emergency commissioner had implied. All the details on what was revealed by the Tagadà broadcast on La7
The takeover bid for 157 million syringes to inoculate the anti Covid vaccine to Italians expires today at 6.00 pm. Of these 157 million, 150 million must be luer locks, as requested by Commissioner Domenico Arcuri.
The request was born on the advice of Cts, Iss and a manufacturing company, explained the communication structure of Arcuri in recent days. But today Cts, Iss and Pfizer deny Arcuri and claim they have never been questioned in the choice.
Who, then, suggested this purchase to the extraordinary commissioner? Let's go step by step.
THE NOTICE
Let's start from the beginning. In the press conference on November 26, the extraordinary commissioner for the emergency, Domenico Arcuri, announced the publication of the announcement for the request for syringes to inoculate the incoming Covid vaccine.
The purchase offer that started on November 26 and expires today (despite an invitation from the EU dated July 30, 2020) asks for the replenishment of 157 million syringes, of which 150 million are luer locks.
UNAVAILABLE AND EXPENSIVE SYRINGE
The luer lock syringe (screw-on), however, highlights Pentaferte , an Italian manufacturer of syringes, which participated in the purchase offer, is more difficult to find on the market, requires longer production times and costs more.
"The announcement provides for the technical characteristics of the syringes that are not available on the market," Gianluca Romagnoli, owner of Pentaferte, an Italian company leader in the production of syringes and other medical devices, told Non è l'Arena last Saturday.
THE ARCURI VERSION
The choice of these syringes, the spokesman of Commissioner Arcuri explained last week in Tagadà , La7 program, was made because they are "more precise and more efficient".
“The syringes in question have the characteristic of having the needle blocked, while at the standard the needle comes out. This can mean that the dose of a few millimeters is not precise in the aspiration operation or worse it is dispersed with consequences on the effectiveness of the vaccine on its dispersion. These formulations are formulated by the Cts-Iss, in collaboration with the manufacturing company and are very important, considering that the difference in costs is very few cents and not six times greater ”, underlined the Arcuri press office.
THE DISMISSAL OF THE CTS
Arcuri's words, therefore, imply that the extraordinary Commissioner chose these particular syringes on the advice of the CTS, the Higher Institute of Health and a manufacturer.
But the CTS, interviewed by Tagadà , said that "it has never been hit by questions relating to vaccines, syringes and the distribution chain". In short, he did not recommend Arcuri on luer locks.
THE DISMISSAL OF THE ISS
And the ISS? Not even the Istituto Superiore di Sanità has done it. "The ISS was not involved in defining the technical specifications on the syringes to be purchased", the ISS tells Tagadà.
DID PFIZER RECOMMEND ARCURI?
Did the request come from Pfizer, the vaccine manufacturer? Not even. “Administration requires the use of commonly used needles”, the company said, referring the choice for luer lock syringes to Commissioner Arcuri.
DO THE ADVICE COME FROM ARTSANA?
That it was Artsana who advised Arcuri and the government? In fact, the company, heard by Start Magazine , said in recent days: “No, we are not the ones who snort over the announcement”, the criticisms come only “from Pentaferte”, replying to the title of Start Magazine .
EVEN IN CHINA LUER LOCK NEEDLES ARE UNAVAILABLE
But the criticisms of the purchase offer also come from Rays SpA , winner of the last Consip tender for the supply of syringes. The Italian company that produces in China has chosen not to participate in the tender since 150,000 required syringes “are niche syringes, which are not used in Italy and in the world. Even in China we would have production problems, there are mold problems ”, Stefano Marconi, president of Rays, told Tagadà .
“We asked for clarification in relation to the question, offering the interlocking cone as an alternative because they are the most used syringes, but their answer was succinct,“ no, we want luer lock syringes ”, concluded Marconi.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/cts-iss-e-pfizer-smentiscono-arcuri-sulle-siringhe-per-il-vaccino-anti-covid/ on Wed, 09 Dec 2020 15:29:40 +0000.