Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will deliver an additional 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to the United States this summer, after lengthy negotiations over how much the companies could deliver, given commitments to other nations.
The $ 1.95 billion deal doubles the total US vaccine order to 200 million doses. Pfizer and BioNTech have stated that they can deliver 70 million doses by June 30, 2021, with the remaining 30 million doses delivered by the end of July.
The extended deal comes a week after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters that Pfizer faces “manufacturing challenges,” an accusation the company has vehemently denied. “Pfizer has not had production problems with its COVID-19 vaccine and no transport containing the vaccine is suspended or delayed,” a spokesman said.