The administration of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is close to a deal with Pfizer that could provide tens of millions more doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Americans in 2021, the NYT reports.
Pfizer and Moderna are the two pharmaceutical companies whose COVID vaccines have been approved for accelerated use by the U.S. FDA, under an emergency use authorization.
From the New York Times, which broke the story late Tuesday:
An agreement, which could be announced as early as Wednesday, would help the United States at least partly offset a looming vaccine shortage that could leave as many as 110 million adult Americans uncovered in the first half of 2021.
(…)
In the negotiations, the government is asking for 100 million additional doses from Pfizer from April through June. The company has signaled that it should be able to produce at least 70 million, and perhaps more, if it can get more access to supplies and raw materials.
To help Pfizer, the deal calls for the government to invoke the Defense Production Act to give the company better access to roughly nine specialized products it needs to make the vaccine. One person familiar with the list said it included lipids, the oily molecules in which the genetic material that is used in both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines is encased.
More: Pfizer Nears Deal With Trump Administration to Provide More Vaccine Doses
