With about 50 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine coming this year and about 1.3 billion slated to be manufactured next year, Pfizer is working to meet US demands for more doses, company CEO Albert Bourla said Monday.
The 50 million doses scheduled for distribution this year have already been manufactured, the CEO said, and half will go to the United States, while the other 25 million will go to the rest of the world. The US government would like another 100 million doses in the second quarter, but as of right now, there is no deal in place and Bourla sees the third quarter of 2021 being a more realistic target.
Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine won't likely be the only option. An FDA committee is reviewing a vaccine from Moderna, which is similar to Pfizer/BioNTech's, and will discuss its emergency use authorization this week. US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, in a Monday interview with NBC, also raised the prospect of Johnson & Johnson's and AstraZeneca's vaccines getting approval next month.
"This was something that the both FDA and CDC considered a lot and they arrived, I think, at recommending you should complete the second dose," he said.