The US government will pay $ 1.95 billion to obtain 100 million doses of a potential vaccine against Covid-19, which will be developed by the German-American alliance BioNtech / Pfizer, the two laboratories announced on Wednesday.

"The US government has placed an initial order for 100 million doses for $ 1.95 billion and could acquire up to 500 million additional doses," the two companies said in a statement.

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The German biotech BioNtech and the American laboratory Pfizer have been developing a vaccine project for several months, which is now entering a decisive phase of large-scale clinical trials, after initial encouraging results.

Tests subject to control by health authorities

Washington is expected to receive the first doses as soon as "Pfizer has successfully manufactured [the vaccine] and obtained approval" from US health officials.

The goal of the two laboratories is to "manufacture 100 million doses before the end of 2020", and "potentially more than 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021".

In early July, the two companies announced positive preliminary results, after testing their vaccine on 45 participants.

According to them, this "is capable of generating a neutralizing antibody response in humans at levels greater than or equal to those observed in convalescent sera and it does so at relatively low doses".

But two doses will be needed to immunize a person, a booster to be made seven days after the first injection, a spokesperson for BioNtech told AFP on Wednesday.

"Advanced discussions with many other governments"

From now on, a phase of large-scale clinical tests must begin, which should take place in Brazil and Argentina.

"We are also in advanced discussions with many other governments and hope to announce additional delivery agreements soon," Ugur Sahin, president of BioNtech, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the British government announced an agreement on the prior purchase of 30 million doses from the German-American alliance.

With AFP

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