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The E.U. vaccine rollout was tanking. AstraZeneca had slashed deliveries. Ursula von der Leyen was getting blamed for it all. Then she, and the E.U., caught a break. Our insider's tale of how the new monster E.U.-Pfizer/BioNTech deal came together #Thread https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/world/europe/european-union-pfizer-von-der-leyen-coronavirus-vaccine.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
Through interviews with Ms. von der Leyen, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, BioNTech chief commercial officer Sean Marett & 9 more experts & officials, we reconstruct the background to the deal.
News: the deal for 1.8 bln doses was finalized yesterday. It will be announced this week.
News: the deal for 1.8 bln doses was finalized yesterday. It will be announced this week.
Underpinning it was VDL's determination to course-correct the botched EU rollout & AstraZeneca fiasco, partly for her own political gain. For Mr. Bourla & his partners BioNTech, this was classic corporate hustle. The direct, intensive communications betw VDL & Bourla were key.
The 2 started texting & talking in January. Bourla said he and Ms. von der Leyen had “developed a deep trust, because we got into deep discussions.”
He said: “She knew details about the variants, she knew details about everything. So that made the discussion, way more engaged.”
He said: “She knew details about the variants, she knew details about everything. So that made the discussion, way more engaged.”
Pfizer & BioNTech took risks to upscale production before new orders. If you build them, they will come. Upgrades in Puurs & the acquisition of the Marburg plant. Marburg stockpiled 11 mln doses before it got regulatory green light. As soon as that came, they went to the EU.
The ability to deliver reassured VDL & cemented the relationship. EU put in 200mln new orders in Feb, and activated 100mln optional in April.
With this, and new deal, EU is now Pfizer/BioNTech's single biggest client globally. The firms have sold the United States 300mln doses.
With this, and new deal, EU is now Pfizer/BioNTech's single biggest client globally. The firms have sold the United States 300mln doses.
With this background, here are the newsy bits of our story:
- Agreement betw/ EU & Pfizer/BioNTech sealed yesterday, to be announced this week.
- Member states can opt out of pro rata allocations
- Deal is 900mln doses + 900 mln options for 2022-2023
- All will be made in Europe
- Agreement betw/ EU & Pfizer/BioNTech sealed yesterday, to be announced this week.
- Member states can opt out of pro rata allocations
- Deal is 900mln doses + 900 mln options for 2022-2023
- All will be made in Europe
- Deal will cover any or all of the following types of products: boosters for 2022 and 2023, pediatric vaccines, and an entirely new vaccine in the worst-case scenario of an "escape mutant," namely a variant so bad & resistant to the core vaccine, than it needs a whole new one.
I got hold of *draft* needs assessment tof future potential needs.
Not all of these will necessarily be covered by Pfizer deal, but they provide context.
Summary:
- 510 mln boosters for 2022-23
- 195 mln pediatric shots
- 640 mln shots for new "escape mutant" vax
Not all of these will necessarily be covered by Pfizer deal, but they provide context.
Summary:
- 510 mln boosters for 2022-23
- 195 mln pediatric shots
- 640 mln shots for new "escape mutant" vax
Important: Under new contract, E.U. can *resell and donate* excess doses.
More numbers, this on latest export figures: E.U. has seen export of just over 159 mln doses to 87 countries since December 2020; almost exactly same amount have stayed at home to inoculate Europeans.
More numbers, this on latest export figures: E.U. has seen export of just over 159 mln doses to 87 countries since December 2020; almost exactly same amount have stayed at home to inoculate Europeans.
Should add: individual member states, apart being free to opt out of part of pro rata allocation Pfizer/BioNTech deal, can also do their own deals with pharmas. Both these things were true in the first round of vaccine procurement, by the way.
There's more, hang on! >>
There's more, hang on! >>
Experts & some members warn this could be overcorrection to opposite direction, too many eggs in Pfizer basket. VDL tells me: we may make more deals. Interested in protein-based jabs (Novavax, Sanofi); will talk to Moderna (limitation is it produces small numbers in EU)
Also interested in J&J for single-dose & storage simplicity.
Indicates the end of the road has been reached with AstraZeneca. The lawsuit sort of gave that away.
Indicates the end of the road has been reached with AstraZeneca. The lawsuit sort of gave that away.
New deal w Pfizer/BioNTech does little to change the big discrepancy in rich world access to vaccines vs. poorer countries' lack thereof.
“Bottom line should be that the access to this vaccine should not be a prerogative of the purchasing power of the country,” @WHO expert says.
“Bottom line should be that the access to this vaccine should not be a prerogative of the purchasing power of the country,” @WHO expert says.
VDL in intvw is strongly anti patent release. Bourla says tech transfer wd be of limited use bc of difficulty of making mRNA vaccine.
There is broad criticism of inequity deepening, EU get boosters & kids vaccines when there are no jabs for frontline workers in poorer countries.
There is broad criticism of inequity deepening, EU get boosters & kids vaccines when there are no jabs for frontline workers in poorer countries.
Gosh OK this is already quite long. I'm going to pause here. Might come back with more later. Please read the story! https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/world/europe/european-union-pfizer-von-der-leyen-coronavirus-vaccine.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
