Pfizer and Biontech announce a $1.95 billion agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Defense for an initial order of 100 million doses of the vaccine candidate, BNT 162, which will be given at no charge upon FDA approval or emergency use authorization. A phase 2b/3 trial is expected to open in July of 2020, with plans to seek regulatory review as soon as October 2020. BNT162b1 is one of at least four vaccine candidates under development. Both antibody and T-cell responses were noted in a preliminary report from an ongoing phase I/II trial of BNT162b1. 47% of Biontech’s stock is privately owned; since December of 2019, its value has increased from $3-4 billion to $10 billion. Sources 1,2
