Europe Seeks 200 Million Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Doses

(Bloomberg) -- The European Commission said it’s seeking to secure 200 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, stepping up efforts to protect citizens against the pandemic.

A proposed contract with the U.S. pharma giant would let all European Union member states buy the vaccine, as well as allowing them to donate supplies to lower- and middle-income countries, the commission said in a statement. Financial terms were not disclosed.

After the initial purchase, the EU would be able to acquire a further 200 million doses later. The commission said it’s also pursuing talks with other vaccine developers.

Johnson & Johnson last week agreed to supply 100 million doses of its experimental vaccine to the U.S. for more than $1 billion. J&J has released a study showing the shot generated a strong antibody response in primates, and provided protection with a single dose.

J&J shares traded 0.8% lower in New York.

The EU said last month that it was closing in on a deal for as many as 300 million doses of the vaccine Sanofi is developing with GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

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