Berlin | Japan has reached an agreement with the German-American alliance Biontech / Pfizer to secure 120 million doses of their potential COVID-19 vaccine, currently in a phase of large-scale clinical trials, the researchers said on Friday. two laboratories.
The agreement provides for “the supply of 120 million doses from the first half of 2021”, subject to “regulatory approval” and “conclusive clinical trials”, specify the laboratories in a joint press release.
The price was not specified.
The German biotech Biontech and the American laboratory Pfizer have been developing this vaccine project for several months, which entered a phase of large-scale clinical trials on Monday, with 30,000 volunteers aged 18 to 35.
In early July, they had reported positive preliminary results after testing their vaccine on 45 people.
The objective of the two laboratories is to “manufacture 100 million doses before the end of 2020”, and “potentially more than 1.3 billion doses before the end of 2021”.
Two doses of this vaccine should be needed to immunize a person, with a booster seven days after the first injection.
While the pandemic is far from under control, governments around the world are seeking to secure stocks of vaccine for their populations.
Last week, the US government struck a $ 1.95 billion deal for 100 million doses of the vaccine developed by Biontech / Pfizer.
A few days earlier the British government had also announced an agreement for the prior purchase of 30 million doses from the German-American alliance.