The vaccine developer BioNTech and drug giant Pfizer will supply the European Union (EU) with an additional 100 million doses of its vaccine.

BioNTech said in a statement Monday that the additional batch will bring the total number of supplied doses to the EU to 600 million.

“The additional 100 million doses…will further help to support the acceleration of the vaccination campaigns throughout the EU,” said Sean Marett, Chief Business and Chief Commercial Officer of BioNTech.
“We now intend to deliver a total of 600 million doses to the EU this year, which covers two-thirds of the EU population and represents the largest cumulative supply agreement…that we have agreed to date globally,” Marett added.
Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner in charge of vaccines, said on Sunday that the EU had confidence in BioNTech/Pfizer due to their consistent batch supplies.

Breton told CNN affiliate BFM TV that the companies were “supposed to deliver 60 million doses in the first quarter. They delivered 68 million. They were to deliver 190 million to us in the second quarter. They are delivering 240 million doses.”

The official also mentioned the difficulties the trade bloc had seen with AstraZeneca supplies.

“The AstraZeneca vaccine contract was the first to be signed in August 2020, and 120 million doses have been ordered for the first quarter and 180 million for the second quarter. Instead of delivering 120 million doses to us in the first quarter, they only delivered 30 million,” Breton said.

From a health point of view however, the official repeated the European Medicines Agency’s advice that “the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine — and in general the adenovirus vaccines — outweigh…the disadvantage of having the disease.”