BERLIN (AP) – As concerns about vaccine delays spread across Europe, Pfizer and BioNTech said on Wednesday they had finalized an agreement to supply the European Union with an additional 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.
American and German companies said in a statement that the doses go beyond the 300 million doses of vaccines that the bloc initially ordered. The EU Executive Committee has the option to request an additional 100 million doses.
They said the 200 million doses are due to be delivered this year, with an estimated 75 million doses in the second quarter.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first of three so far to be approved for use in the EU, which has faced strong criticism for a slow start to its vaccination campaign compared to countries like Israel, Britain and the United States. The other two vaccines approved by the EU are from Moderna and AstraZeneca.
Delays in planned deliveries by all vaccine manufacturers have helped fuel dissatisfaction among European governments.
Last month, Pfizer said it was temporarily reducing deliveries to Europe and Canada, while upgrading the production capacity of its plant in Belgium. The EU also had a public fight with AstraZeneca over obtaining fewer vaccines than expected. The head of AstraZeneca attributed the delay to the new factories that needed to solve the problems of vaccine production.
“We are working tirelessly to support the implementation of vaccination campaigns in Europe and around the world, expanding manufacturing capacity,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Wednesday.
BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin noted that his company will start production at its new plant in Marburg, Germany this month and has strengthened its manufacturing network with more partners.
“We continue to assess, together with governments, authorities and partners at all levels, how we can meet an even greater need for future supply for our vaccines,” he said.
Wednesday’s statement gave no financial details of the latest EU-Pfizer deal.
On Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency said it had received a request from Johnson & Johnson for its coronavirus vaccine to be authorized. The EU drug regulator said it could deliver an opinion in mid-March. The J&J vaccine is given as one injection, while the other three vaccines required two injections at intervals of weeks.
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