The Mainz vaccine pioneer Biontech can be pleased: the EU will buy another huge amount of corona vaccine from him by 2023.
Brussels - The EU contract for the purchase of up to 1.8 billion additional doses of corona vaccine * from Biontech / Pfizer * has been finalized.
This was announced by the EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen * on Twitter on Saturday.
The amount should be delivered by 2023.
900 million cans are to be ordered firmly, another 900 million cans are an option.
The aim is to refresh the vaccinations of adults and to immunize the 70 to 80 million children in the EU against the coronavirus *.
According to information from the
dpa, the
contract has
a volume of up to 35 billion euros and means further investments in Germany * and Belgium *.
Deal about corona vaccine from Biontech: Germany should initially receive 165 million doses
As a rule, the EU Commission does not officially say anything about the cost of the vaccines purchased.
According to
dpa
information, the agreed price per dose is in the order of magnitude that Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borissow last mentioned: around 19.50 euros per dose.
The price of 23.50 euros mentioned in media reports is too high, it was said in Brussels.
The sum per dose is “less than 20 euros”.
According to a letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance to the Bundestag budget committee, Germany could obtain 165 million cans from ordering the first 900 million cans.
The costs for this are accordingly 3.83 billion euros.
The EU Commission defended that the price would be higher than the previous contracts with Biontech / Pfizer.
There are stricter delivery agreements, other liability rules and agreements to adapt the vaccine to new virus variants, the authority said.
In addition, the EU will no longer pay any more money to promote production.
New Biontech deal is in place - France is said to have had objections beforehand
Von der Leyen announced on April 14th that negotiations were being held with the German company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer about the delivery of the huge amount. The conversations then dragged on longer than expected. France was reported to have objected. Ultimately, however, all 27 EU countries supported the deal, as the EU Commission announced on Friday. All EU commissioners then agreed in a written procedure. There is now an official objection period of five working days until the signature can be placed on the contract.
The EU Commission expects that around 700 million doses will be required for booster and vaccination of children in 2022 and 2023.
If a mutation of the coronavirus occurs against which the previous vaccinations do not help, 640 million doses would be needed to completely re-immunize 70 percent of the EU population.
For the current vaccination campaign, the EU already has two framework contracts with Biontech / Pfizer for 600 million vaccine doses, which have been gradually being delivered since the end of 2020.
From the beginning of April to the end of June alone, the EU expects 250 million vaccine doses from the manufacturers.
Corona vaccine: The mRNA vaccine from Biontech is considered very effective and very safe
Their mRNA vaccine was the first to be approved in Europe. It is considered very effective and very safe. One advantage of the new mRNA technology is that vaccines can be adapted to virus mutations relatively quickly. The disadvantage is that the preparation has to be stored at very low temperatures and is comparatively expensive. Manufacturers such as Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson use a different mode of action with the help of so-called adenoviruses.
The head of the Commission had already announced that part of the agreement would be a complete production in the EU - not only of the vaccine, but also of all essential components. So far, the supply chains for the raw materials have been networked around the world. Manufacturers are sometimes worried about replenishing important components such as lipids, which are necessary for mRNA vaccines.
(dpa / frs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA