Presidential Meeting with Johnson & Johnson and Merck CEOs

President Biden, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky, and Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier spoke about the two companies' partnership to produce additional supply of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The president thanked the CEOs of the rival pharmaceutical companies for coming together and “putting patriotism and public health first.” He announced the federal government would be purchasing an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for “maximum flexibility” and the need to be prepared for the unexpected. President Biden told reporters the U.S. would share its potential vaccine surplus with the rest of the world once Americans are “taken care of first.” He also previewed his primetime address planned for the following night, saying he would lay out the next phase of his administration’s COVID-19 response and what he would ask of the American people. close