BioNTech, Pfizer boost COVID-19 vaccine goal in 2021 to 2 billion doses

German drugmaker BioNTech on January 11 said that it expects to produce nearly two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year which is a major hike from the previous forecast of 1.3 billion doses. BioNTech-Pfizer’s vaccine against the highly infectious disease was also the world’s first jab to be approved in the West. 

As per reoprts, referring to the additional dose that could be extracted from each vial of the vaccine, the German pharmaceutical company said that the doses in 2021 will incorporate the updated 6-dose label. 

The capacity will be mainly boosted by 750 million doses by the new site in Marburg, Germany, that was acquired from Novartis in September. It will reportedly become functional by end-February. Further, reportedly the additional capacity by contractors who will be supplying the ingredients and fill the developed substance into vials had also contributed to enhancing the company’s target for 2021.

The German company also said that its slides that 32.9 million doses had even been shipped as per January 10. The company spokesperson reportedly said that at least 50 million doses had been produced at the end of 2020, that was previously planned but delivered were put on hold to avoid excess storage time.

"We now believe that we can potentially deliver approximately 2 billion doses in total by the end of 2021, which incorporates the updated 6-dose label," said BioNTech.

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EU orders 300 million more doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Meanwhile, after securing a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for 300 million extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the EU leaders are to hold a pandemic video summit on January 21. On Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said that agreement with the US-based pharmaceutical company will double the number of doses already ordered by the 27-nation bloc. Now, the move has raised hopes for speedier inoculation across the continent and has also eased criticism that the EU’s executive arm has not done enough to procure COVID-19 shots for the entire bloc. 

"This would enable the EU to purchase up to 600 million doses of this vaccine, which is already being used across the EU. The additional doses will be delivered starting in the second quarter of 2021," the European Union said.

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