eFM News

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.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday a person with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal is under discussion but has not been finalized.

Pfizer's vaccine, co-developed by BioNTech, was the first to gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration and initial shipments were sent to various 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 and the government's Operation Warp Speed.

Pfizer has a contract to supply the U.S. with 100 million doses, 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.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said last week they were negotiating for more doses, but details provided about the company's desire for better access to supplies are new.

Getting hold of more vaccines from Pfizer would help the U.S. keep up the pace of vaccinations through the winter and into the spring.

Earlier, Pfizer said in a statement that it will "continue to work collaboratively" with the government "to get its vaccine to as many Americans as possible."