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For half a day in Berlin the hope of producing its own vaccine grew.
Berlin's health senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD) promised this scenario on Thursday in the House of Representatives and caused a stir.
About seven hours later the disillusionment: The Berlin-Chemie company brought into play by Kalayci made it clear that it could neither produce nor fill vaccines.
"The technology that the company has at its disposal is not suitable for the production of vaccines," the company stated in writing, without completely ruling out the possibility of such a thing in the more distant future.
Nevertheless, we would like to thank the Berlin Senate Administration "for the positive and constructive discussions regarding possible support in the preparation of vaccines".
A spokeswoman on behalf of Berlin-Chemie spoke to WELT of a "misunderstanding".
The Senate Department for Health approached the company to discuss the possibility of producing or bottling vaccines.
Both are "currently" not possible.
Kalayci spoke of "good news"
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It sounded different with Kalayci.
"Berlin is ready to help with vaccine production," she said in the House of Representatives.
"This morning I informed our governing mayor that I and my authority are in good talks with Berlin-Chemie." The pharmaceutical company based in Berlin-Adlershof is ready to set up a vaccine production facility.
"I think that's good news," said the senator.
"Berlin-Chemie has resources, has good prerequisites to set up and quickly expand vaccine production," said Kalayci.
A suitable production facility and staff would be available.
"With our support, we assume that a faster expansion of vaccination production is possible."
Michael Müller corrected the senator's announcement
Berlin's Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) had already relativized this in the evening.
"My findings are that it is not about vaccine production, but about the filling of vaccines," he told the RBB.
According to the Berlin-Chemie statement, this does not seem to be a short- or medium-term option to alleviate the shortage of vaccines caused by the delays in production at Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
According to its own statements, Berlin-Chemie was one of the largest chemical companies producing pharmaceuticals in the GDR.
Among other things, insulin and penicillin were produced there.
The former state-owned company has been part of the Italian Menarini Group, a pharmaceutical company based in Florence, since 1992.
More than 100 employees are currently helping the company on a voluntary basis with the preparation of the Biontech vaccine in the Arena vaccination center in Berlin-Treptow.