US to pay Sanofi, GSK $2.1 bn for Covid-19 vaccine to cover 50 mn people

A Sanofi executive said the companies had not yet agreed with the US on a specific price for additional doses

The US government will pay $2.1 billion to Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc for Covid-19 vaccines to cover 50 million people and to underwrite the drugmakers' testing and manufacturing, the companies said on Friday.

The drugmakers also said they were in advanced discussions to supply up to 300 million doses of the experimental vaccine for the 27-country European Union.

The US award is the biggest yet from 'Operation Warp Speed', the White House initiative aimed at accelerating access to vaccines and treatments to fight Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The deal, announced by the US Department