Our investment
The Australian Government has invested a total of over $18 billion in Australia’s vaccine and COVID-19 treatment supply as part of the COVID-19 Health response.
We are rolling out several approved vaccines. Learn more about the approval process.
The Government has entered into 5 separate agreements for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines. These include agreements with Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novavax, Moderna and the COVAX Facility. The agreements with AstraZeneca, COVAX and Moderna have been fulfilled. The contract documents/supply agreements themselves are not appropriate for release as they contain confidential and commercially sensitive information.
Comirnaty (Pfizer)
As part of Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Strategy, the Australian Government has made several agreements to purchase doses of the Pfizer vaccine. This vaccine is manufactured overseas.
The TGA provisionally approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in Australia on 25 January 2021 and granted full registration to the product on 13 July 2023.
Doses for Australia
- In September 2021, the Australian Government announced a dose sharing partnership with the UK. Under this agreement Australia received 4 million Pfizer doses from the UK in September 2021. The Government sent 4 million doses back to the UK in late 2021.
- In August 2021, the Australian Government announced a dose swap deal with Singapore. Australia gained access to 500,000 Singaporean Pfizer doses to boost the vaccine program in September 2021, and returned 500,000 Pfizer doses to Singapore in November 2021.
- In August 2021, the Australian Government bought 1 million Pfizer doses from the Republic of Poland.
- In July 2021, the Australian Government announced the purchase of 85 million more Pfizer doses. These were planned to be booster doses, ensuring Australia’s supply of mRNA vaccines in 2022 and 2023.
- In May 2021, the Australian Government purchased 500,000 Pfizer doses through the COVAX Facility.
- In April 2021, the Australian Government ordered a further 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
- In February 2021, Australia ordered an extra 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
- In November 2020, the Australian Government agreed to buy 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Spikevax (Moderna)
The Moderna vaccine is another mRNA vaccine, similar to Pfizer. The TGA provisionally approved the Moderna vaccine for use in Australia on 9 August 2021, and granted full registration to the product on 21 April 2023.
Doses for Australia
We have a contract for 28 million doses:
- 10 million doses of the original formulation, available in late 2021.
- 15 million doses of variant-specific versions to address longer-term immunity and viral variants, available in 2022.
- 3 million doses of a variant-specific version to ensure an adequate portfolio of vaccines through 2023 and 2024.
In September 2021, the Australian Government purchased an additional 1 million Moderna doses from European Union member states. Moderna has satisfied all deliveries under the current supply arrangement, with the Commonwealth’s last batch of pandemic supply stock being depleted on 12 July 2024.
The Australian Government has entered into a 10-year partnership with Moderna and the Victorian Government that will see Moderna build an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility at Monash University Victoria.
Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
The Australian Government secured 56.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Biopharmaceutical company CSL manufactured the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia. The TGA provisionally approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in Australia on 15 February 2021.
The Australian Government advises that the AstraZeneca vaccine is no longer available in Australia.
AstraZeneca has made the decision to formally discontinue Vaxzevria in Australia. The TGA-approved provisional status of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) was voluntarily cancelled by AstraZeneca on 23 April 2024.
The last batch of pandemic supply stock expired on 20 March 2023.
Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
In January 2021 it was announced that the Government had secured 51 million doses of the Novavax vaccine.
The Novavax vaccine is one of 9 supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global partnership to accelerate vaccine development.
The TGA provisionally approved the Novavax vaccine for use in Australia on 19 January 2022, and granted full registration to the product on 26 October 2023.
The Australian Government advises that the Novavax ancestral vaccine is no longer available in Australia.
Novavax ceased manufacturing their ancestral vaccine in early 2022. The last batch of ancestral Novavax expired on 31 January 2024.
The TGA commenced evaluating the XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine from Biocelect Pty Ltd (on behalf of Novavax Inc.) on 9 November 2023. Following discussions with the TGA, on 21 May 2024, Biocelect Pty Ltd withdrew this application, meaning the TGA is no longer evaluating this vaccine for use or supply in Australia. Withdrawal was a decision of Biocelect Pty Ltd.
The Australian Government intends to make an updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, from Biocelect Pty Ltd, available to eligible individuals as soon as possible following regulatory approval.
COVAX
The Australian Government joined the COVAX Facility as part of a global effort to support rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The COVAX Facility was a global risk-sharing mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX was a collaboration between CEPI, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO) with UNICEF.
Other agreements
The Australian Government supported the University of Queensland’s research into a possible COVID-19 vaccine. This vaccine completed Phase 1 clinical trials, but did not proceed to Phase 2/3.