U.S. Reaches Deal With Pfizer For 100 Million More Vaccine Doses

The Trump administration says it has reached a deal with Pfizer to buy an additional 100 million doses of the company's COVID-19 vaccine, effectively doubling the federal government's supply from Pfizer.

The pharmaceutical giant is to deliver 70 million doses by June 30, 2021, and complete the rest of the order by the end of the following month, according to a statement released Wednesday morning by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Pfizer said the U.S. government has agreed to pay $1.95 billion for the additional doses.

Earlier this month, the COVID-19 vaccine developed jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech was the first to get the greenlight for widespread use in the U.S., kicking off a massive vaccination campaign. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also authorized the use of a vaccine from Moderna.

"The additional doses ordered today provide for a seamless transition from the first 100 million doses contracted earlier this year," HHS said, adding that the agreement includes the option to buy 400 million more vaccine doses.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.