US Pharmaceutical Giant Pfizer To Open New Hub In Greece - Greek Gov't

US Pharmaceutical Giant Pfizer to Open New Hub in Greece - Greek Gov't

Pfizer will expand its presence in Greece by opening a new hub in Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city and a large port in the Aegean Sea, with capacity to employ up to 600 people, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Thursday

ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2020) Pfizer will expand its presence in Greece by opening a new hub in Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city and a large port in the Aegean Sea, with capacity to employ up to 600 people, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Thursday.

In mid-November, Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 candidate vaccine concluded phase 3 clinical trials, with a declared efficacy level of 95 percent. On Wednesday, the United Kingdom authorized the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use, becoming the first country to do so.

"The investment climate in Greece changes, which, among other things, leads to an increase in investments and more jobs by Pfizer in Thessaloniki, initially up to 600 job places with a potential to be doubled, as stated by Pfizer's director general, Albert Bourla. By the year-end, 200 people will work at the digital hub of this large pharmaceutical company in Thessaloniki," Petsas said at a briefing.

With already one successful hub in Thessaloniki, Pfizer decided to open another one to use shared resources to cater for the company's internal needs, the spokesman said.

"These investments will create an additional 350 jobs at the first stage. This way, despite the pandemic, in a short period of time, a large transnational corporation will create jobs for 600 people in such a city as Thessaloniki with the possibility to double this number," Petsas added.

Stressing that the Greek government pursues large investments in order to reverse the exodus of the nation's intellectual elite, the spokesman said that around 15-20 percent of job applications were coming from Greek expats who left the country during the economic crisis and now want to repatriate, if given a decent job.

Pfizer's mRNA-based vaccine comes with a significant logistical disadvantage, as its storing and transportation conditions require as cold of an environment as -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit).

Other vaccine candidates that have also already declared their efficacy level include those developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna, UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca,�and Russia's Gamaleya research institute � all of them with less demanding logistical properties.