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So far, the EU had obtained 300 million doses of the corona vaccine from Biontech. But that doesn’t seem to be enough. The company and the EU are currently negotiating a larger delivery and expanding production.
According to the company, Mainz-based manufacturer Biontech and the EU are in “advanced discussions” about a larger delivery of the corona vaccine than previously planned.
The head of the company, Ugur Sahin, told the dpa news agency, emphasizing that due to the high number of infections, a rapid supply of vaccines is particularly important. “We are working with the EU to further expand our production capacities and to be able to provide additional doses of vaccine,” Sahin said.
Already expanded by 100 million cans
He noted that this week it had been agreed with the EU Commission to deliver another 100 million doses of vaccine. This possibility was already foreseen in the EU framework agreement: initially 200 million doses of the corona vaccine were firmly ordered with the option to buy an additional 100 million units.
When asked, a company spokeswoman would not say how quickly a contract for additional deliveries could be finalized and what quantities are involved. The EU Commission also only spoke of the fact that there would be “advanced talks” about new deliveries in 2021.
Production will be expanded
According to its own information, Biontech is already working hard to expand the production capabilities of the corona vaccine. However, increasing production in the short term was “anything but trivial,” Sahin told “Spiegel.” “It’s not like there are specialized factories around the world that are idle and that can produce vaccines of the required quality overnight.”
“Five manufacturers in Europe have been commissioned to support the production,” said the company’s chief medical officer Özlem Türeci. More contracts are being negotiated. “At the end of January we will have clarity on whether and how much we can produce more.”
Astonishment at EU purchasing policy
Biontech also sees the EU purchasing policy as the reason for the current vaccine shortage. “Many other companies were supposed to come with vaccines. Apparently, the impression was: we will get enough, it won’t be that bad, and we have it under control. I was surprised,” Sahin said.
The idea of the EU and other governments to put together a basket of different suppliers actually makes a lot of sense, Türeci added. “At some point, however, it turned out that many of them cannot deliver on time. So it was too late to place large orders elsewhere.”
The Biontech and Pfizer vaccine was approved in the EU just before Christmas and has also been administered for a few days. In Germany alone, 165,575 people had already been vaccinated with the drug as of noon on Friday. There are currently no further approvals for corona vaccines in the EU. The international community has already ordered doses of vaccines from several manufacturers that are still in development.
“Germany will get enough vaccines”
Right now, “a gap is emerging because there are no other approved vaccines and we have to fill this gap with our vaccine,” Sahin said. But Germany “will get enough vaccines.” Several politicians had recently called for the production of vaccines to be significantly accelerated and criticized the actions of the Federal Ministry of Health.
The idea that Biontech could license other manufacturers to produce the new vaccine was also put into play. Sahin rejected the proposal. “You can’t just switch so that the vaccine is produced suddenly instead of aspirin or cough syrup. The process requires years of experience and the appropriate structural and technological equipment.”
The Ministry of Health awaits the approval of Moderna on January 6
The Health Ministry reiterated that 2.68 million doses of the Biontech vaccine were expected in early February. The next delivery to the federal states is still scheduled for January 8. Including last year’s deliveries, there would be a total of 3.98 million cans, as much as previously announced.
Another vaccine from the manufacturer Moderna could be added later this month. The ministry expects this to be approved in the EU on January 6. The exact delivery times would be coordinated quickly.
