Pfizer, BioNTech to Distribute 2 Billion Doses to Lower-Income Countries

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to ship 1 billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to poorer countries this year and an additional 1 billion doses in 2022.

The shipments to low- and middle-income nations would occur over the next 18 months, said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, adding that low-income countries would receive doses for free while middle-income countries would pay approximately half of what richer nations pay — an estimated $10 rather than $20 per dose.

Vaccine supplies to poorer countries have been significantly impacted by the worsening COVID-19 crisis in India, which produces much of the world’s vaccines, as the Indian government has blocked COVID-19 vaccine exports from that country.