Pfizer Faces Confusion on 2020 Dose Delivery Numbers

With the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee scheduled to consider Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 10, the drugmaker is facing confusion and doubt regarding how many vaccines it can actually deliver once approval comes.

Last Thursday, reports emerged that Pfizer had cut in half its original estimate of delivering 100 million doses by the end of the year, pointing to problems in gathering raw materials and scaling up production. The 50 million- dose estimate for 2020, it turned out, was released by Pfizer in a Nov. 9 statement. Regardless, the company’s stock fell last week as a result of the published report.

Pfizer, in response, held firm to its early November forecast of 50 million doses by year’s end, and 1.3 billion doses next year, adding that it expects to roll out this year’s batch within hours of regulatory authorization.

Pfizer said in a statement that there are several factors that have impacted the number of doses estimated to be available in 2020, adding that scaling up a vaccine at this pace is unprecedented. Pfizer said the company has made significant progress as it has “moved forward in the unknown.”

Meantime, the supply chain that’s needed to get COVID-19 vaccines to all intended recipients is gearing up. Pfizer’s vaccine requires extremely cold temperatures — minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 70 Celsius) — for shipping and storage once they’re ready for distribution, and dry-ice makers report that they’re preparing for a spike in demand as regulatory approval draws near. — Suz Redfearn