EU signs 3rd deal with BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8b vaccine doses

The European Commission on Thursday signed a third contract with pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer, securing an additional 1.8 billion doses between the end of 2021 and 2023, reported Xinhua.

The European Commission said in a statement that the new contract requires that the vaccine production is based in the European Union (EU) and those essential components are sourced within the bloc. It also stipulates that from the start of the supply in 2022, timely delivery to the EU is guaranteed.

Member states can resell or donate doses to countries in need outside the EU or through the COVAX Facility, contributing to global and fair access to the vaccine across the world, according to the statement.

"Potential contracts with other manufacturers will follow the same model, to the benefit of all," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides added that the EU was prioritizing "technologies that have proven their worth," like mRNA vaccines, but it was keeping its options open.

The EU has already signed contracts with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, CureVac and Moderna for vaccine supplies. The Commission has granted conditional marketing authorization for the vaccines developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, as well as Johnson and Johnson.

This diversified portfolio ensures the EU has access to enough doses to immunize its whole population, including for the variant viruses, the Commission said in the statement.