Pfizer Signs $3.2 Bln COVID Vaccine Deal With US Government

Covid vaccine makers Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced a new $3.2 billion vaccine supply deal with the U.S. Government, as the country is bracing for a Covid outbreak this fall.

Under the deal, the U.S. government will receive 105 million doses (30 µg, 10 µg and 3 µg) of Pfizer -BioNTech covid vaccines initially. The order may include adult Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccines, subject to authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The agreed doses are planned to be delivered as soon as late summer 2022 and continue into the fourth quarter of this year.

The government also has the option to purchase up to 195 million additional doses, bringing the total number of potential doses to 300 million.

According to Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, as the virus evolves, the new agreement will help ensure people across the country have access to vaccines that may provide protection against current and future variants.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is FDA authorized under Emergency Use Authorization to prevent COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 6 months of age and older.

Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech had announced positive data from the Phase 2/3 trial, demonstrating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of two Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates. They showed a substantially higher immune response against Omicron BA.1 as compared to the companies’ current COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer reportedly said that its vaccine works against BA.4 and BA.5 strains as well, but not as effectively as BA.1.

These data have been shared with regulators, including the FDA, and a request for U.S. Emergency Use Authorization is planned. The companies have started manufacturing the Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates at risk so that deliveries can be started rapidly upon authorization or approval.

Consistent with the U.S. government’s commitment for free access to COVID-19 vaccines, eligible U.S. residents will continue to receive the vaccine for free.

The drug major in May launched “An Accord for a Healthier World,”, aiming to provide all of Pfizer’s patented, high-quality medicines and vaccines available in the U.S. or the European Union on a not-for-profit basis to 1.2 billion people in 45 lower-income countries. These include 23 medicines and vaccines that treat infectious diseases, certain cancers, and rare and inflammatory diseases.

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