The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Department of Defense, announced an agreement to purchase 105 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for a fall vaccination campaign, with options for up to 300 million doses.
The contract announcement follows a June 28 meeting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting, which recommended the inclusion of an Omicron component for COVID-19 booster vaccines in the U.S.
“Vaccines have been a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19, allowing people to return to normal activities knowing that vaccines protect from severe illness,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
The $3.2 billion contract includes a combination of adult and pediatric doses with a portion of the adult doses provided as single-dose vials, a first for COVID-19 vaccines. Pending FDA authorization of the vaccine and a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS could expect to receive the first deliveries of the vaccine in early fall.
“Over the past 18 months, we have procured and delivered more than 750 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine nationwide, contributing to two-thirds of American adults being fully vaccinated,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Dawn O’Connell. “We look forward to taking delivery of these new variant-specific vaccines and working with state and local health departments, pharmacies, healthcare providers, federally qualified health centers, and other partners to make them available in communities around the country this fall.”
Earlier this month, in the absence of additional COVID-19 funding from Congress, the Administration was forced to reallocate $10 billion in existing funding, pulling billions of dollars from COVID-19 response efforts in order to pay for additional vaccines and treatments. The funding for this new Pfizer contract is being paid for with a portion of that reallocated funding. To award the contract, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of ASPR, collaborated with the DOD Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense and Army Contracting Command.
