Olympics an added incentive as Japan adds to vaccine orders for Pfizer and BioNTech

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech (Nasdaq: BIIB) have received a third major order in a month for their BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, subject to clinical success and regulatory approval.

Following the orders from the UK and US governments, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan has now come to an agreement with the companies for the supply of 120 million doses.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, but the terms were based on the timing of delivery and the volume of doses. In the US government deal, the price agreed was $19.50 per dose. This suggests that the value of the Japanese arrangement is likely to be in excess of $2 billion.