US govt secures 100m doses of experimental Covid-19 vaccine in $2bn deal

The US government is to spend $2bn acquiring the first 100m doses of a potential vaccine for Covid-19 currently being jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The $1.95bn deal, which is dependent on the vaccine receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, also gives the US authority to acquire up to 500m additional doses.

New York-based Pfizer and its German partner intend to start an anticipated phase 2b/3 safety and efficiency trial later this month on vaccine candidate BNT162

If the trials are successful and a vaccine wins regulatory approval, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be able to manufacture up to 100m doses by the end of 2020 and potentially more than 1.3bn doses by the end of 2021.

Ugur Sahin, chief executive and co-founder of BioNTech, said: "We are pleased to have signed this important agreement with the US government to supply the initial 100m doses upon approval as part of our commitment to address the global health threat. This agreement is one of many steps towards providing global access to a safe and efficacious vaccines for Covid-19."

He added that Pfizer and BioNTech were also in "advanced discussion with multiple other government bodies".

The US has set up a programme, called Operation Warp Speed, intended to deliver 300m Covid-19 vaccine doses in 2021.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said: "Expanding Operation Warp Speed’s diverse portfolio by adding a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech increases the odds that we will have a safe, effective vaccine as soon as the end of this year."

Americans will receive the vaccine free of charge.

Pfizer shares jumped 5% in pre-market trading while BioNTech, which is listed on Nasdaq, rose 6%.