Thailand’s purchase contract for 20 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been signed, with delivery expected in the fourth quarter of this year, according to Pfizer and BioNTech today (Tuesday).
Without revealing the prices or exact delivery schedule, both Pfizer and BioNTech said in a press statement that a contract has been signed with Thailand’s Disease Control Department under the Ministry of Public Health.
“We are thrilled to have signed this important agreement with the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand as part of our shared commitment to be part of the country’s efforts to drive down COVID-19 infections,” said Deborah Seifert, Country Manager of Pfizer (Thailand) Ltd. and Indochina.
“I would like to thank the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand for its support and for putting trust in our ability to develop a vaccine that, we believe, has the potential to help address this global pandemic threat. Our goal remains to deliver a global supply of a well-tolerated and effective COVID-19 vaccine for many people around the world, as quickly as we can,” said Sean Marett, Chief Business and Chief Commercial Officer at BioNTech.
Pfizer and BioNTech aim to manufacture approximately 3 billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine globally by the end of 2021. It is one of the two current mRNA vaccines, the other being US-made Moderna. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for emergency use by Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration on June 24th.
Thailand does not yet have any mRNA vaccines in use, with only Sinovac and Sinopharm from China, both are whole virus vaccines, and AstraZeneca, a vector vaccine, being provided.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other key health officials will meet representatives from six vaccine brands this afternoon to discuss importing more vaccines, including 50 million more Pfizer doses, separate from the newly signed agreement. Others are Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Sinopharm.
