Europe Buys Another 100 Million Doses of BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The European Union (EU) has agreed to purchase an additional 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, COMIRNATY, from Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX).

The news comes as delays hit the initial rollout plans of the vaccine in European countries. This deal brings the total number of doses to be delivered to the EU to 300 million. In November, Industrial Info reported that the European Commission (EC) had signed its first deal for BioNTech-Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. For additional information, see November 23, 2020, article - Europe Inks Deal for 300 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine.

"We decided to take an additional 100 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, which is already being used to vaccinate people across the EU," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "We will therefore have 300 million doses of this vaccine, which was assessed as safe and effective. More vaccines will follow."

The Commission has secured 2.2 billion potential vaccine doses from seven different suppliers with contracts signed with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, BioNTech-Pfizer, CureVac and Moderna. A further contract is expected to be signed with Novavax for an additional 100 million doses, with the option of up to 100 million more.

Speaking about the new deal, Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, said: "We remain committed to moving as quickly and safely as possible to bring this vaccine to more people in Europe, as the deadly virus continues to spread at an alarming rate. In partnership with the European Commission, member states and healthcare providers, we will be able to reach a total of 150 million Europeans across the continent." The additional 100 million doses will be delivered this year.

However, early on in the rollout a number of problems are hampering Europe's efforts to produce enough vaccines according to Ugur Sahin, chief executive officer and co-founder of BioNTech. "The current situation doesn't look particularly rosy," he told German newspaper Spiegel. "There is a gap because there is a lack of additional, approved vaccines and we have to fill this gap with our vaccine. That is why we are currently working with Pfizer on whether and how we can increase production. We are currently trying to find new cooperation partners who will be able to produce the vaccine for us. But it's not as if there are unused, specialized factories sitting around the world that can start producing the vaccine tomorrow in the quality necessary. By the end of January, we will have clarity on whether and how much more we will be able to produce."

In September, BioNTech bought a manufacturing site in Germany from Novartis to increase the production capacity for the BNT162 vaccine--now branded COMIRNATY. The plant in Marburg will allow the company to produce 750 million doses per year when at full capacity. For additional information, see September 28, 2020, article - BioNTech Buys German Plant to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Production.

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