Dive Brief:
- The Wall Street Journal reports that Pfizer will cease vaccine sales in China in response to the Chinese government's failure to renew an import deal for the pharma giant's vaccine Prevenar.
- Prevenar is a pediatric pneumococcal vaccine.
- Ceasing the vaccine sales will affect 200 employees, according to Pfizer, but the company says it will help the workers find other positions within the firm there.
Dive Insight:
It's still unclear why, exactly, Chinese regulators didn't renew the import license. But Pfizer says it could have a big impact on the drug's availability since it is the only company that markets such a vaccine in the country.
As BioPharma Dive has previously reported, pushback from Chinese regulators has been putting increasing strains on pharmaceutical companies in recent months, although many firms still plan to expand in the country.