Pfizer, BioNTech sign deal to supply BNT162 Covid-19 vaccine to Canada

Pfizer and BioNTech have signed an agreement with the Canadian government to supply their mRNA-based BNT162 vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV2, depending on clinical success and approval from Health Canada.

Financial details of the deal were not revealed. However, the terms in the deal were based on the timing of delivery and the volume of the vaccine doses.

Pfizer said that the deliveries of the BNT162 Covid-19 vaccine candidate are planned to take place during 2021, as per the Canadian government.

Cole C. Pinnow – President of Pfizer Canada said: “We continue to be committed to partnering with the Canadian government to help fight this pandemic and are pleased with their collaborative approach to addressing a national COVID-19 immunization strategy with public health officials.

“With our combined efforts, we know there is no health challenge that we cannot address.”

The BNT162 vaccine program is based on BioNTech’s mRNA technology and is backed by Pfizer’s vaccine development and manufacturing capabilities across the world.

Recently, the companies selected the BNT162b2 vaccine candidate, one of the four vaccines under the BNT162 vaccine program, to be advanced into a phase 2/3 study. BNT162b2 is said to encode an optimized SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike glycoprotein (S), which is the target of virus-neutralizing antibodies.

Canadian Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand said: “As the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines continues around the world, we commend the work of Pfizer and BioNTech , which will provide Canadians access to a vaccine candidate for the virus. This agreement is another critical step in our government’s efforts to keep Canadians safe and healthy as the pandemic continues to evolve.”

Last month, Pfizer and BioNTech signed a $1.95 billion worth agreement with the US government for supplying 100 million doses of the BNT162 Covid-19 vaccine candidate.