US negotiating for millions more vaccine doses from Pfizer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is negotiating with Pfizer to acquire tens of millions of additional vaccine doses in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal is under discussion but has not been finalized. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations.

Pfizer's vaccine was the first to gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration and initial shipments went to states last week. It has now been joined by a vaccine from Moderna, which was developed in closer cooperation with scientists from the National Institutes of Health.

A law dating back to the Korean War gives the government authority to direct private companies to produce critical goods in times of national emergency. Called the Defense Production Act, it could be used to help Pfizer secure supplies ranging from needed chemicals to vials to containers and materials to keep its vaccine super-cold. The person who spoke to the AP about the negotiations described using the defense law as an option under consideration.

Moderna's vaccine was developed in close collaboration with the government's own effort, which is called Operation Warp Speed. It was designed to have millions of vaccine doses ready and available to ship once a shot received FDA approval.

Pfizer has a contract to supply the government with 100 million doses of its vaccine under Operation Warp Speed, but government officials have said it's more of an arms-length relationship with the company and they don't have as much visibility into its operations.

Having tens of millions more doses from Pfizer would help the U.S. keep up the pace of vaccinations through the winter and into the spring, moving the nation closer...