Two months after concluding exploratory talks over a COVID-19 vaccine supply pact with officials in Europe, Johnson & Johnson has finalized its deal. The company will provide 200 million doses of its vaccine—should it prove safe and effective in testing and win an approval—for an undisclosed price.
Johnson & Johnson is already in phase 3 testing, and officials have said the company could report early efficacy results late this year or early next year. The deal also provides an option for an additional 200 million doses.
With the supply pact, officials in Europe have lined up more than 1 billion potential coronavirus vaccine doses, Reuters reports. The European Commission already had supply agreements in place with AstraZeneca and the Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline partnership.
Meanwhile, Europe is also in talks with Moderna, CureVac and the Pfizer/BioNTech partnership for additional doses. Novavax is involved in supply talks, as well, Reuters reported last month.
J&J’s deal comes after the drugmaker reported in August that the sides had concluded exploratory talks. The week before, J&J inked a deal with U.S. officials for 100 million doses at $10 each.
The pharma giant started its phase 3 trial last month and is aiming to enroll 60,000 participants at various sites in the U.S. and several other countries, including many in Central and South America. The company could report initial efficacy results in December or January, officials have said.
J&J is also in negotiations with other governments and global groups to provide COVID-19 vaccine supplies. The company has previously agreed to provide up to 500 million doses for lower income countries starting in the middle of next year.