The European Commission has reached an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech for up to 300 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine.
Under the deal, the 27 countries in the European Union could purchase 200 million doses, with an option to buy 100 million more. The vaccine will not be available until the European Medicines Agency deems it to be safe and effective.
The deal comes after Pfizer announced on Monday that its Phase 3 trials showed that its vaccine was 90% effective. On Wednesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund claimed that its vaccine was 92% effective.
“I’m very happy to announce today’s agreement with the European company BioNTech and Pfizer to purchase 300 million doses of the vaccine,” President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.
The EU has also struck deals with Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, and AstraZeneca for their COVID-19 vaccines that are still in the testing phase. The EU is negotiating with Moderna, CureVac, and Novavax to buy their vaccines.
