US buys 200 million Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech at $24 per shot

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The United States has purchased an additional 200 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE, at a higher price than previous deals.

The United States pays about $24 a dose, according to Pfizer, up from the $19.50 the government paid in its previous deals to supply the country. This deal brings the total purchased from the United States to one billion doses.

The companies said they expect to deliver an additional 110 million doses by the end of the year and the rest by the end of next April. Pfizer said the US has the option to obtain an updated version of its vaccine targeting variants, if they are available and authorized by regulators. Pfizer is doing one test targeting the Beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa.

“The price of this order represents the additional investment needed to produce, package and deliver new formulations of the vaccine, as well as the increased cost associated with delivering the vaccine in smaller package sizes to facilitate delivery at the offices of individual providers, including pediatricians,” a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki emphasized that the Biden administration’s purchase could be used to vaccinate children or serve as booster doses if health regulators deem it necessary.

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