BERLIN (AP) – As concerns about vaccine delays spread across Europe, Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that they have entered into an agreement to supply the European Union with an additional 200 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.
The US and German companies said in a statement that the doses are in addition to the 300 million vaccine doses the block initially ordered. The EU executive committee has an option to request an additional 100 million doses.
They said the 200 million doses are expected to be delivered this year, with an estimated 75 million in the second quarter.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was the first of three to be approved for use in the EU so far, which has been strongly criticized for the slow start of the vaccination campaign compared to countries such as Israel, Great Britain and the United States. The other two vaccines approved by the EU are from Moderna and AstraZeneca.
Delays in scheduled deliveries from all those vaccine manufacturers have contributed to discontent among European governments.
Last month, Pfizer said it temporarily reduced deliveries to Europe and Canada while improving production capacity at its factory in Belgium. The EU also had a public argument with AstraZeneca about receiving fewer vaccinations than expected. The AstraZeneca chief blamed the backlog of new factories to solve vaccine production problems.
“We work tirelessly to support the further rollout of vaccination campaigns in Europe and globally by expanding manufacturing capacity,” said Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s CEO, Wednesday.
BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin noted that his company will start production this month at its new factory in Marburg, Germany, and that he has strengthened his manufacturing network with more partners.
“We, together with governments, authorities and partners at all levels, continue to evaluate how we can address even higher future delivery needs for our vaccines,” he said.
Wednesday’s statement did not provide financial details on the latest EU-Pfizer deal.
On Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency said it had received a request from Johnson & Johnson for permission for the coronavirus vaccine. The EU drug regulator said it could issue an advisory in mid-March. The J&J vaccine is given at one time, while the other three vaccines should be given two weeks apart.
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