Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced the signing of a letter of intent with Eurofarma Laboratórios SA, to manufacture COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) for distribution within Latin America. Eurofarma will perform manufacturing activities within Pfizer's and BioNTech's global COVID-19 vaccine supply chain and manufacturing network, which will now span four continents and include more than 20 manufacturing facilities. To facilitate Eurofarma's involvement in the process, technical transfer, on-site development, and equipment installation activities will begin immediately. Per the agreement, Eurofarma will obtain drug product from facilities in the U.S., and manufacturing of finished doses will commence in 2022. At full operational capacity, the annual production is expected to exceed 100 million finished doses annually. All doses will exclusively be distributed within Latin America.
Pfizer and BioNTech select contract manufacturers using a rigorous process based on several factors: quality, compliance, safety track record, technical capability, capacity availability, highly trained workforce, project management abilities, prior working relationship, and commitment to working with flexibility through a fast-paced program. COMIRNATY, which is based on BioNTech's proprietary mRNA technology, was developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer), Canada and other countries. Submissions to pursue regulatory approvals in those countries where emergency use authorizations or equivalent were initially granted are planned.