Trump administration officials on Monday denied a report that the federal government turned down an offer from Pfizer earlier this year to purchase additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The administration’s Operation Warp Speed signed a nearly $2 billion contract with Pfizer and its partner BioNTech in July for the rights to 100 million doses.
Under the agreement, the government will pay the companies $1.95 billion upon the receipt of the first 100 million doses, following authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The contract gave the administration the ability to acquire up to an additional 500 million doses.
According to The New York Times, the administration declined this summer when offered the opportunity to purchase additional doses.
As a result, Pfizer may not be able to provide more of its vaccine to the United States until June because of its commitments to other countries.
But an administration official said nobody turned down additional Pfizer doses. The official said the U.S. has contracts with five other companies for a combined guarantee of 3 billion doses as well as the option for more.
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}
