Pfizer will deliver at least 70 million doses by June 30, and the remainder will be delivered by July 31, according to a press release.
With this agreement, the federal government will have purchased 200 million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for $ 4 billion. The vaccine is 95% effective against the coronavirus after two doses several weeks apart.
The agreement includes an option for an additional 400 million doses of the vaccine, HHS said. Pfizer said the US government will pay $ 1.95 billion for the additional 100 million doses.
Last week, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said negotiations to buy more coronavirus vaccines were complicated by supply chain issues at Pfizer, making it more challenging for the company to produce an additional 100 million vaccine doses in the spring. Pfizer had sought help from OWS to secure critical materials to deliver the vaccine on an accelerated schedule.
On Wednesday, an HHS spokesman told CNN in a statement that the Trump administration is using its authorities under the Defense Production Act to “prioritize access to the critical materials and supplies needed to expand vaccine production.”
Operation Warp Speed uses “selective application of DPA authorities” to facilitate production of the six vaccines it supports, including the Pfizer vaccine, according to the statement.
The Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was the first to receive emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine have been administered since last week.
The Trump administration was criticized after the New York Times reported that the U.S. administration had failed to get an additional 100 million doses when Pfizer offered that option this summer. The administration has denied reports that it rejected this offer from Pfizer.