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U.K. Signs New Pfizer, Moderna Vaccine Deals to Counter Omicron

U.K. Signs New Pfizer, Moderna Vaccine Deals to Counter Omicron

The U.K. agreed to buy an additional 114 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from Moderna Inc. and the partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE to secure the country’s supplies following the emergence of the omicron variant.

The new contracts, which were accelerated due to the new coronavirus strain and are for delivery in 2022 and 2023, include access to modified vaccines if they’re needed to tackle omicron and other future variants of concern, the Department of Health said in an emailed statement Wednesday.

The deals will “future-proof” the U.K.’s vaccine rollout, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in the statement.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna shots are being used for the U.K. vaccine booster program, which has been accelerated and extended to all adults due to the omicron strain.

The latest deal is a big win for Moderna, which will supply 60 million of the 114 million doses. That’s more than three times the total of the company’s existing contract with the U.K., which so far had not renewed its supply arrangements with Moderna.

The contracts come on top of the 35 million Pfizer doses ordered in August for delivery in the second half of 2022, as well as doses from Novavax Inc. and a partnership of GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Sanofi that are expected next year, the government said.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.