EU, Pfizer Vaccine Deal Reserves Capacity for Future Pandemic

The European Commission agreed to reserve manufacturing capacity with vaccine producers including Pfizer Inc. in an effort to safeguard supplies for health emergencies in the future.

(Bloomberg) — The European Commission agreed to reserve manufacturing capacity with vaccine producers including Pfizer Inc. in an effort to safeguard supplies for health emergencies in the future.

The companies will constitute a network called EU FAB, with capacity to ramp up quickly to produce 325 million doses of vaccine per year, the European Union’s executive arm said in a statement Friday. Their factories are located in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain.

During the early months of the global Covid-19 vaccine drive, the EU saw doses flow more slowly to its residents than those of the US, despite the bloc being a key production location for the shots. Under Friday’s deal, producers will keep facilities up to date with trained staff, with stockpiling where needed, the commission said.

In addition to Pfizer, which will make messenger RNA vaccines, the deal covers vector-based vaccines from Bilthoven Biologicals BV and protein-based vaccines from Laboratorios Hipra SA, CZ Vaccines and Laboratorio Reig Jofre SA.

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