Thai hospital tycoon sticks to guns on vaccine claims

By Chayut Setboonsarng

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl (THG) doubled down on its outspoken chairman’s claim to be buying Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines on Friday, helping its share price rise despite denials by both drugmakers.

Dr. Boon Vanasin’s claim that his group, a more than $800 million private medicine empire, was close to signing a deal for 20 million Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines to import to Thailand was swiftly denied on Thursday by both companies, one day after a government agency filed a defamation suit against Boon, 82.

On Friday, THG stuck to its guns.

“THG has agreed to buy the vaccine and is currently in the process of filing documents with overseas dealers,” the company said in a statement.

Boon even told local media an agreement would be signed by Friday afternoon. By close of business, there was still no evidence of any deal.

THG…