White House chief of staff Ron Klain said states are not permitted to purchase COVID-19 vaccines directly from drugmakers under an FDA emergency use authorization, he told CNBC Jan. 24.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have made requests to purchase COVID-19 vaccines directly from Pfizer, citing inadequate allocations from the federal government. Mr. Klain said, "I don’t think that’s possible," when asked about these recent efforts.
Mr. Cuomo sent his letter to Pfizer Jan. 18, and Ms. Whitmer made her request Jan. 11. The drugmaker said it is open to the idea of selling COVID-19 vaccines directly to states, but doing so would require permission from HHS, as it is not authorized to sell COVID-19 vaccines under emergency use authorization to states.
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