White House to urge labs to produce Pfizer or Moderna Vaccines

“I don’t want to talk about specific names, but I will say that we are exploring all possible options,” Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team, said when asked in a media appearance about whether the Biden administration could force one lab to produce another’s vaccine.

“There are delicate and very sterile processes, and they must be done in a way that they work completely, but we are not afraid to explore all the options so that more vaccines reach the public as soon as possible,” he said.

US President Joe Biden said he will leverage the government’s authority under the Defense Production Act, with the goal of meeting supply needs in 12 areas facing immediate shortages, such as no dead space syringes and protective equipment.

Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday that his firm will make 100 million doses of the vaccine made by rival Pfizer.