Reported by CNN Business.

The European Union is pivoting to the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus shot with a record agreement to buy up to 1.8 billion doses, as court proceedings in its lawsuit against another major vaccine maker, AstraZeneca, began in Brussels on Wednesday.

The agreement with Pfizer, which is yet to be finalized in an official contract, would be the world's biggest single deal for a Covid-19 vaccine to date. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the landmark purchase on Friday during a visit to a Pfizer manufacturing plant in Puurs, Belgium, saying the vaccines would be delivered through to 2023.

The deal, which includes 900 million optional doses, was announced as pressure mounts on developed nations to stop purchasing more shots than their populations need to ensure there are enough for the rest of the world.

An account of the negotiations published Wednesday by the New York Times, based on interviews with von der Leyen, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and other experts and officials, painted a picture of personal diplomacy between the Pfizer and EU chiefs. It related how the pair exchanged regular text messages and calls over months until it became clear Pfizer could supply the EU with far more doses than the 300 million it had already agreed to.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/28/business/eu-pfizer-biontech-deal-astrazeneca-lawsuit-intl/index.html