Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Production Up 50%... Additional 75 Million Doses Supplied to EU

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Pfizer and BioNTech announced on the 1st that they will increase the production volume of their COVID-19 vaccine by more than 50% to 200 million doses.

The two companies promised to supply an additional 75 million doses to the European Union (EU) in the second quarter beyond the originally planned amount.

Following AstraZeneca, Pfizer and BioNTech have also pledged to expand vaccine supply to the EU, drawing attention to whether the EU's vaccine shortage will be resolved.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of BioNTech revealed in future plans shared with Germany's S?ddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and others on the same day, "To meet the global surge in demand, we plan to produce 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this year," adding, "This is an increase of more than 50% compared to the previously planned 130 million doses."

He said, "Our measures to expand manufacturing capacity are proceeding as planned."

BioNTech stated that it will supply an additional 75 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the EU in the second quarter. Accordingly, the total supply to the EU this year will be 600 million doses.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on Twitter that day, "Pfizer and BioNTech plan to supply an additional 75 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the second quarter," adding, "The total for this year will be 600 million doses."

Earlier, AstraZeneca announced the previous day that it would deliver 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the EU in the first quarter.

This is an increase of 9 million doses compared to the 31 million doses AstraZeneca notified it could deliver in the first quarter two weekends ago. However, this is only half of the originally planned 80 million doses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.