Pfizer pulls out of German summit, re‑examines its German investments over new savings plan

Pfizer chief Albert Bourla sent a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz cancelling the company’s participation in the upcoming “Invest in Germany” summit. The decision was taken because Germany’s new health‑care savings legislation – the Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz – will raise mandatory manufacturer rebates from about 7 % to roughly 20 % by 2030 and tighten budgeting for medicines. Bourla wrote, “Nach reiflicher Überlegung muss ich Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass ich bei dieser Gelegenheit nicht teilnehmen kann.” Pfizer said it will reassess the timing, size and priority of its planned investments in Germany, where it employs more than 3,000 staff and operates a major site in Freiburg. The move follows similar investment cuts announced by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim, which also cite the German savings plan as a deterrent. The German government aims to ease health‑insurance costs by €16.3 billion in 2027, but the pharmaceutical sector warns that the new rebate rules undermine long‑term planning certainty.