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发表于 2020-12-17 08:37 PM
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Francesco Guarascio
Thu, December 17, 2020, 2:15 AM PST
* EU to exercise option for up to 100 mln more Pfizer shots
* EU declined in July Pfizer offer for 500 mln doses - document
* EU has ordered 200 mln doses so far, jab approval due next week
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By Francesco Guarascio
BRUSSELS, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The European Union will take up its option to buy up to 100 million more doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine after turning down an opportunity in July for a much bigger deal, according to EU officials and an internal document.
The plan comes after some of the vaccine candidates ordered by the EU faced unexpected delays in clinical trials, forcing the bloc and other wealthy nations to rely for now on shots from fewer manufacturers than initially planned.
The Pfizer/BioNTech shot, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by Western drugs regulators, is being rolled out in countries including Britain and the United States, and is expected to be approved for use in the EU next week.
The European Commission decided on Tuesday to exercise its option to buy up to 100 million additional doses under an existing contract with Pfizer and BioNTech, a spokesman for the EU executive told Reuters on Thursday. Under the same contract it has already ordered 200 million doses.
"We want to be sure to get more doses because there is big demand," the spokesman said.
An EU official said talks were underway over how many of the extra 100 million doses might be taken.
Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment. BioNTech declined to comment.
Under the EU contract, the two firms have committed to rapidly deliver 200 million doses after regulatory approval for 15.5 euros ($18.8) apiece, EU officials told Reuters in November.
The extra 100 million doses would be supplied at the same price, but with the timetable to be negotiated, EU officials said.
Pfizer and BioNTech have said they can produce about 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, but they are trying to expand manufacturing capacity as global demand surges.
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