Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech SE (Nasdaq:BNTX) profited handsomely from COVID-19 vaccine sales in 2021. The firms raked in more than $59 billion in combined sales of the Comirnaty vaccine. 

The two companies have now announced a new vaccine supply agreement with the U.S. government worth $3.2 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, the government will receive 105 million additional doses of the vaccine at the 30 µg, 10 µg and 3 µg dose levels. 

The deal could include an omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine, assuming FDA authorizes an updated booster. 

Yesterday, FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to back the use of omicron-containing boosters.

Pfizer announced that it could begin shipping doses for the deal as soon as the late summer and continue into the fourth quarter of 2022. 

The U.S. government also has the option to buy up to 195 million additional doses for a total of 300 million doses.

The U.S. had a population of 330 million in 2020.  

“This agreement will provide additional doses for U.S. residents and help cope with the next COVID-19 wave,” said Sean Marett, chief business and chief commercial officer of BioNTech. “Pending regulatory authorization, it will also include an omicron-adapted vaccine, which we believe is important to address the rapidly spreading omicron variant.”

Pfizer and BioNTech recently released data related to monovalent and bivalent vaccines based on the omicron BA.1 variant. 

When given as a fourth dose, the monovalent vaccine candidate resulted in a 13.5 and 19.6-fold increase in neutralizing geometric titers against Omicron BA.1 at 30 µg and 60 µg doses. 

U.S. regulators may prefer a vaccine based on the BA.4/BA.5 omicron subvariant or a future variant. 

PFE shares ticked up 0.51% to $50.94. BNTX shares were up 1.54% to $141.98, 

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Filed Under: Drug Discovery and Development, Infectious Disease
Tagged With: BioNTech, COVID-19 vaccine, FDA, Pfizer
 

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