Pfizer and BioNTech to Supply the European Union with 200 Million Additional Doses of COMIRNATY®

Rhea-AI Summary

Pfizer and BioNTech have secured a new agreement with the European Commission to deliver an additional 200 million doses of the COMIRNATY vaccine, bringing the total supply to 500 million doses by the end of 2021. The agreement allows for an option of 100 million more doses. With this arrangement, at least 250 million Europeans could be vaccinated. Both companies are ramping up manufacturing capacity to meet global demand, aiming for around two billion doses by the end of 2021.

Positive

• New agreement increases total COMIRNATY supply to 500 million doses for the EU, with an option for 100 million more.
• Expecting to deliver 75 million doses in Q2 2021.
• Manufacturing capacity expansion targeting two billion doses in 2021.

Negative

• None.

• New agreement brings total supply to the European Union to 500 million doses, with delivery expected by the end of 2021
• European Commission has the option to request an additional 100 million doses

NEW YORK and MAINZ, GERMANY, February 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) today announced an agreement with the European Commission (EC) to supply an additional 200 million doses of COMIRNATY^®, the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine, to the 27 European Union (EU) member states. The EC has the option to request supply of an additional 100 million doses.

This new agreement is in addition to the 300 million doses that have already been committed to the EU through 2021 under the first supply agreement signed last year. The additional 200 million doses are expected to be delivered in 2021, with an estimated 75 million to be supplied in the second quarter.

The total number of doses to be delivered to the EU member states by the end of 2021 is now 500 million, with the potential to increase to 600 million based on the option granted in the new agreement.

“We recognize that more people must be vaccinated as soon as possible to help defeat this virus and control the global pandemic. We are working relentlessly to support the further roll-out of vaccination campaigns in Europe and worldwide by expanding manufacturing capacity,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. “With this new agreement with the European Commission, we now expect to deliver enough doses to vaccinate at least 250 million Europeans before the end of the year.”

“Broad access to well-tolerated and highly efficacious vaccines is essential to halt the pandemic. We have taken additional steps to expand our manufacturing capacity to two billion doses in 2021,” said Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. “We will initiate production at our Marburg facility this month and have strengthened our manufacturing network with additional partners. We are continuing to evaluate, together with governments, authorities and partners at all levels, how we might address an even higher future supply requirement for our vaccines.”

COMIRNATY is being produced in BioNTech’s and Pfizer’s manufacturing sites in Europe. The distribution of COMIRNATY by the EU member states will continue to be determined according to the populations identified in EU and national guidance. Globally, Pfizer and BioNTech aim to manufacture approximately two billion doses in total by the end of 2021, assuming continuous process improvements, expansion at current facilities, adding new suppliers and contract manufacturers and updated six-dose labeling.

The vaccine, which is based on BioNTech proprietary mRNA technology, was developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorizations Holder in the EU, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalent in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other countries in advance of a planned application for full marketing authorizations in these countries.

AUTHORIZED USE IN THE EU:
COMIRNATY^® ▼ (the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) has been granted conditional marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in people from 16 years of age. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) human medicines committee (CHMP) has completed its rigorous evaluation of COMIRNATY^®, concluding by consensus that sufficiently robust data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are now available.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:

• Events of anaphylaxis have been reported. Appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available in case of an anaphylactic reaction following the administration of the vaccine.
• The efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine has not been assessed in immunocompromised individuals, including those receiving immunosuppressant therapy. The efficacy of COMIRNATY^® may be lower in immunosuppressed individuals.
• As with any vaccine, vaccination with COMIRNATY^® may not protect all vaccine recipients. Individuals may not be fully protected until 7 days after their second dose of vaccine.
• In clinical studies, adverse reactions in participants 16 years of age and older were injection site pain (> 80%), fatigue (> 60%), headache (> 50%), myalgia and chills (> 30%), arthralgia (> 20%), pyrexia and injection site swelling (> 10%) and were usually mild or moderate in intensity and resolved within a few days after vaccination. A slightly lower frequency of reactogenicity events was associated with greater age.
• There is limited experience with use of COMIRNATY^® in pregnant women. Administration of COMIRNATY^® in pregnancy should only be considered when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and fetus.
• It is unknown whether COMIRNATY^® is excreted in human milk.
• Interactions with other medicinal products or concomitant administration of COMIRNATY^® with other vaccines has not been studied.

For complete information on the safety of COMIRNATY^® always make reference to the approved Summary of Product Characteristics and Package Leaflet available in all the languages of the European Union on the EMA website.

The black equilateral triangle denotes that additional monitoring is required to capture any adverse reactions. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Individuals can help by reporting any side effects they may get. Side effects can be reported to EudraVigilance or directly to BioNTech using email medinfo@biontech.de, telephone +49 6131 9084 0, or via the website www.biontech.de.

About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients’ Lives
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.Pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.Pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.

Pfizer Disclosure Notice:  The information contained in this release is as of February 17, 2021. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about Pfizer’s efforts to combat COVID-19, the collaboration between BioNTech and Pfizer to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, the BNT162 mRNA vaccine program and COMIRNATY^®, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2) (including qualitative assessments of available data, potential benefits, expectations for clinical trials, supply agreements with the EC and the timing of delivery of doses thereunder, the anticipated timing of regulatory submissions, regulatory approval or authorization and anticipated manufacturing, distribution and supply) involving substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with preclinical and clinical data (including the in vitro and Phase 3 data), including the possibility of unfavorable new preclinical, clinical or safety data and further analyses of existing preclinical, clinical or safety data; the ability to produce comparable clinical or other results, including the rate of vaccine effectiveness and safety and tolerability profile observed to date, in additional analyses of the Phase 3 trial and additional studies or in larger, more diverse populations upon commercialization; the ability of BNT162b2 to prevent COVID-19 caused by emerging virus variants; the risk that more widespread use of the vaccine will lead to new information about efficacy, safety, or other developments, including the risk of additional adverse reactions, some of which may be serious; the risk that preclinical and clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments, including during the peer review/publication process, in the scientific community generally, and by regulatory authorities; whether and when additional data from the BNT162 mRNA vaccine program will be published in scientific journal publications and, if so, when and with what modifications and interpretations; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from these and any future preclinical and clinical studies; whether and when a Biologics License Application for BNT162b2 may be filed in the U.S. and whether and when other biologics license and/or emergency use authorization applications may be filed in particular jurisdictions for BNT162b2 or any other potential vaccines that may arise from the BNT162 program, and if obtained, whether or when such emergency use authorization or licenses will expire or terminate; whether and when any applications that may be pending or filed for BNT162b2 (including a potential Biologics License Application in the U.S.) or other vaccines that may result from the BNT162 program may be approved by particular regulatory authorities, which will depend on myriad factors, including making a determination as to whether the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its known risks and determination of the vaccine’s efficacy and, if approved, whether it will be commercially successful; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling or marketing, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of a vaccine, including development of products or therapies by other companies; disruptions in the relationships between us and our collaboration partners or third-party suppliers; risks related to the availability of raw materials to manufacture a vaccine; challenges related to our vaccine’s ultra-low temperature formulation and attendant storage, distribution and administration requirements, including risks related to storage and handling after delivery by Pfizer; the risk that we may not be able to successfully develop other vaccine formulations; the risk that we may not be able to create or scale up manufacturing capacity on a timely basis or maintain access to logistics or supply channels commensurate with global demand for our vaccine, which would negatively impact our ability to supply the estimated numbers of doses of our vaccine within the projected time periods as previously indicated; whether and when additional supply agreements will be reached; uncertainties regarding the ability to obtain recommendations from vaccine technical committees and other public health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of any such recommendations; uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19 on Pfizer’s business, operations and financial results; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10 -Q, including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results”, as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities  and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.

About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer. For more information, please visit www.BioNTech.de.

BioNTech Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” of BioNTech within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include, but may not be limited to, statements concerning: BioNTech’s efforts to combat COVID-19; the collaboration between BioNTech and Pfizer regarding a COVID-19 vaccine; the ability of BNT162b2 to prevent COVID-19 caused by new virus variants; the nature of the clinical data, which is subject to ongoing peer review, regulatory review and market interpretation; the timing for submission of data for, or receipt of, any marketing approval or Emergency Use Authorization; our contemplated shipping and storage plan for BNT162b2 (COMIRNATY^®), including our estimated product shelf life at various temperatures; and the ability of BioNTech to supply the quantities of BNT162 to support clinical development and market demand, including our production estimate for 2021 and beyond as well as the timing and expectations of manufacturing capacities of the manufacturing network; discussions with government, regulatory authorities and partners to address future vaccine demand. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on BioNTech’s current expectations and beliefs of future events, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: competition to create a vaccine for COVID-19; the ability to effectively scale our productions capabilities; and other potential difficulties.

For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see BioNTech’s Quarterly Report for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020, filed as Exhibit 99.2 to its Current Report on Form 6-K filed with the SEC on November 10, which is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and BioNTech undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

Pfizer Contacts:

Media Relations
Andrew Widger
+44 1737 330909
Andrew.Widger@Pfizer.com


Investor Relations
Chuck Triano
+1 (212) 733-3901
Charles.E.Triano@Pfizer.com  

BioNTech Contacts:

Media Relations
Jasmina Alatovic
+49 (0) 6131 9084-1513
Media@biontech.de 

Investor Relations
Sylke Maas, Ph.D.
+49 (0) 6131 9084 1074
Investors@biontech.de

 

FAQ

What is the significance of the new Pfizer and BioNTech agreement with the European Commission regarding BNTX?

The new agreement increases the total supply of COMIRNATY to 500 million doses for the EU, with the potential for 100 million additional doses, enhancing vaccination efforts.

How many doses of the COMIRNATY vaccine are expected to be delivered to the European Union?

The total number of doses expected to be delivered to the EU is now 500 million, with 75 million anticipated in the second quarter of 2021.

What are the manufacturing goals for Pfizer and BioNTech in 2021?

Pfizer and BioNTech aim to manufacture approximately two billion doses of COMIRNATY by the end of 2021.

How many people could potentially be vaccinated in Europe with the new doses from Pfizer and BioNTech?

With the new agreement, it's expected that enough doses will be available to vaccinate at least 250 million Europeans before the end of the year.

What is the timeline for the delivery of additional vaccine doses to the EU under the new agreement?

The additional 200 million doses are expected to be delivered throughout 2021, with specific deliveries slated for the second quarter.