Nov 11, 2020 - Health

EU purchases 200 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

Shawna Chen

Illustration of a group of doctors examining a giant syringe — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The European Union struck a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech to buy at least 200 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine in the largest initial order to date, the companies announced Wednesday.

Driving the news: Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Monday that its coronavirus vaccine trial was effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in 90% of previously uninfected people and did not produce any serious safety concerns.

The order is awaiting regulatory approval and deliveries are anticipated to begin by the end of this year.
The EU will have the option to request an additional 100 million doses.
The U.S. made an initial order of 100 million doses in July, with the option to buy 500 million more.

The big picture: The companies expect to produce up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

They are exploring a possible supply to the COVAX Facility, a global initiative backed by the World Health Organization that will give governments early access to a portfolio of COVID-19 candidate vaccines.

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EU purchases 200 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

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