U.S. Ordered 100 Million Extra Doses Of Moderna’s Covid Vaccine

Topline

After enduring days of criticism for choosing not to order additional Covid-19 doses from Pfizer, federal officials on Friday ordered an extra 100 million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, doubling the number of shots the drugmaker is slated to deliver in the United States by next summer, though regulators still need to sign off on the vaccine before it’s distributed.

Key Facts

What To Watch For

The FDA still hasn’t approved Moderna’s vaccine yet, but a federal stamp of approval could come late next week. The agency’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss Moderna’s drug, and if that panel of scientists deems the vaccine safe and effective, the FDA is widely expected to quickly approve an emergency use authorization and clear the way for distribution.

Key Background

Moderna is the second pharmaceutical company to offer up a promising Covid-19 vaccine to U.S. regulators, applying for emergency use authorization less than two weeks after Pfizer. Data from clinical trials shows Moderna’s vaccine is about 94% effective at preventing coronavirus infections and 100% effective at stopping severe cases, and it doesn’t come with any serious safety concerns.

Tangent

Federal officials are aiming to have enough vaccine doses for every American who wants one by the summer of 2021. So far, Moderna and Pfizer are slated to deliver enough doses for 150 million people, roughly half the country’s population, but it’s unclear which companies will supply doses beyond that. The government signed contracts for more than a half-billion doses from other drugmakers, but their vaccines are unlikely to earn approval this year, and Americans might need to wait until June for additional doses from Pfizer.

Crucial Quote

“This new federal purchase can give Americans even greater confidence we will have enough supply to vaccinate all Americans who want it by the second quarter of 2021,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement Friday.

Further Reading

What You Need To Know About Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine (Forbes)