Pfizer to Double Vaccine Supply in the US by Mid-March

Moderna Also Increases Production... "300 Million Doses by End of July"
J&J "Over 100 Million Doses Produced by End of July After Approval"
Pressure on US Government Goal to Secure Nationwide Vaccination Supply by July

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Pfizer, the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer, announced that it will increase the supply of vaccines in the United States to more than 13 million doses per week by mid-March, more than double the current amount, ahead of a U.S. congressional hearing. This is interpreted as a result of intensified pressure from U.S. politicians to increase production, following the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. surpassing 500,000 and President Joe Biden's pledge to secure enough vaccines for nationwide vaccination by July. The number of people in the U.S. who have received at least one vaccine dose is about 64 million, with the vaccination rate still below 20%.

According to foreign media such as CNN, on the 22nd (local time), John Young, Pfizer's Chief Business Officer (CBO), stated in a pre-hearing speech before the U.S. House of Representatives hearing, "We will increase weekly vaccine production to 13 million doses by mid-March," emphasizing that "this is more than double the weekly production of 4 to 5 million doses at the beginning of this month." Pfizer plans to produce 120 million doses by the end of next month and more than 2 billion doses throughout this year. Moderna also announced its vaccine production increase plan alongside Pfizer on the same day. Steven Hoge, CEO of Moderna Therapeutics, announced, "We will produce and supply 100 million doses by the end of March and 300 million doses by the end of July."

Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which is awaiting vaccine approval from U.S. health authorities, also promised to supply tens of millions of doses immediately upon approval. Richard Nettles, Vice President of Medical Affairs at J&J-Janssen U.S., emphasized, "We will immediately supply more than 20 million doses from the moment of authorization until the end of March," and "We expect to distribute 100 million doses by the end of the first half of the year."

The vaccine manufacturers' consecutive announcements of increased production are seen as a response to the upcoming U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on vaccine availability scheduled for the 23rd. On this day, the cumulative COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. surpassed 500,000, and President Biden previously pledged to secure vaccines sufficient for nationwide vaccination by the end of July, increasing pressure on pharmaceutical companies to ramp up production.

If Pfizer and Moderna produce 300 million doses each by the end of July as promised, and J&J produces 100 million doses, it is expected that vaccines will be secured for approximately 330 million Americans to receive two doses each by the end of July, in line with President Biden's pledge.

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