Novartis signs new deal to help produce Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis said Thursday it has signed a new agreement to farm out some of its production facilities and help manufacture much-needed doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

Novartis has been using its factory in Stein in Switzerland to produce more than 50 million doses this year of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by German startup BioNTech and US drugmaker Pfizer.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is one of a handful that have been approved around the world in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on Thursday, Novartis said it would now "use its sterile manufacturing facilities... in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to fill at least 24 million doses in 2022."

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Novartis said it would "take bulk mRNA active ingredient from BioNTech and fill this into vials under sterile conditions for shipment back to BioNTech for its distribution."