Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is stored for use with United Airlines employees at United’s onsite clinic at O’Hare International Airport on March 09, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
The U.S. plans to buy 100 million additional doses of Johnson & Johnson‘s Covid-19 vaccine, two administration sources told NBC News.
President Joe Biden will announce the plans Wednesday during a White House meeting with executives from J&J and Merck.
J&J currently has a deal with the U.S. government to provide 100 million doses by the end of June. The federal government shipped out nearly 3.9 million doses of the single-shot vaccine last week and says it plans to distribute 16 million more by the end of this month.
In a statement, J&J noted that the government’s initial deal of 100 million doses, worth $1 billion, in August gave it the option to purchase additional doses under a subsequent agreement.
“We look forward to any future discussions with the U.S. Government and to participating in the event at the White House later today,” the company said in a statement.
The announcement comes as the administration works to ramp up the production of J&J’s vaccine after it learned earlier in the year that the company had fallen behind in vaccine production.
The Food and Drug Administration Feb. 27 authorized J&J’s vaccine for use in people 18 and older. Unlike Pfizer‘s and Moderna‘s vaccines, J&J’s one-dose regimen eliminates the need for patients to return for a second dose, and it can be stored at refrigerator temperatures for months.
The New York Times first reported in January that unexpected manufacturing delays would lead to a reduced initial supply of J&J’s drug if it were given emergency authorization.
Last week, Biden announced that pharmaceutical giant Merck would help make J&J’s Covid vaccine. Under the arrangement, Merck will dedicate two facilities in the U.S. to J&J’s vaccine. One will make the vaccine and the other will provide “fill-finish” services, when the vaccine is placed in vials.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the U.S. will use Defense Production Act to give Merck $105 million to convert, upgrade and equip the company’s facilities to the standards necessary to safely manufacture the vaccine.
White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month he was “disappointed” with the number of doses initially expected from J&J, adding the federal government thought there would be “considerably more.”
“It may take until June, July and August to finally get everybody vaccinated,” Fauci told CNN on Feb. 16. “So when you hear about how long it’s going to take to get the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated, I don’t think anybody disagrees that that’s going to be well to the end of the summer and we get into the early fall.”
