EU concludes COVID-19 vaccine talks with Pfizer
The European Commission has concluded exploratory talks with Pfizer and BioNTech to potentially supply 300 million doses of their investigational vaccine against COVID-19.
Announced yesterday, September 9, the deal would represent the largest initial order of vaccine doses for Pfizer and BioNTech to date. It’s also the sixth potential vaccine deal that the EU has concluded talks with.
Under the proposed deal, Pfizer and BioNTech will supply 200 million doses of investigational BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine candidate, with an option for further 100 million doses.
Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, said: “Pfizer and BioNTech’s anticipated agreement with the European Commission is an important step forward in our shared goal to have millions of doses of a vaccine against COVID-19 available for vulnerable populations before the end of the year.”
Deliveries would be starting by the end of 2020, subject to clinical success and regulatory authorisation, and vaccine doses for Europe would be produced in BioNTech’s German manufacturing sites, as well as in Pfizer’s manufacturing site in Belgium.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “This is the sixth pharma company with which we have concluded talks or signed an agreement for potential vaccines, in record time.
“Our chances to develop and deploy a safe and effective vaccine have never been higher, both for Europeans here at home, or for the rest of the world. To defeat coronavirus anywhere, we need to defeat it everywhere.”
The exploratory talks concluded yesterday are intended to result in an advance purchase agreement. It will be financed by the Emergency Support Instrument, which has funds dedicated to the creation of a portfolio of potential vaccines with different profiles and produced by different companies.
In mid-August, the European Commission reached its first agreement to supply EU member states with an experimental vaccine. AstraZeneca will provide 300 million doses of its vaccine (if proven safe and effective), and the European Commission also has the option to purchase 100 million more.
Pfizer and BioNTech are also looking to secure a supply agreement with Covavax, a joint initiative between the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to supply vaccines to emerging markets.
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