Moderna says it will sell up to 110 million vaccine doses to African countries
Moderna announced Tuesday that it will sell up to 110 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine at the lowest tiered price to the African Union in a deal the company said was partly facilitated by the White House.
Moderna said it would deliver the first 15 million doses by the end of the year, 35 million doses within the first quarter of 2022 and up to 60 million more doses by the end of the June.
“We believe our vaccine can play an important role in addressing the needs of low-income countries given its combination of high phase 3 efficacy against COVID-19, strong durability in the real-world evidence, and superior storage and handling conditions,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, MSc, MBA, said in a statement. “We recognize that access to COVID-19 vaccines continues to be a challenge in many parts of the world, and we remain committed to helping to protect as many people as possible around the globe.”
According to Moderna, the promise of 110 million doses comes in addition to its agreement to supply the COVAX initiative with 500 million doses through next year.
As part of the newly announced plan, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. would defer delivery of around 33 million doses of the Moderna vaccine between December and February that were meant for Americans “so that the African Union can instead purchase and take delivery of those doses.”
“This is on top of the 55 million doses — if you’re all keeping track of the numbers here — that we have shipped to Africa to date, the 17 million doses of Johnson & Johnson that will be sent to Africa in the coming weeks, and tens of millions of Pfizer vaccines that will be shipped,” Psaki said during a briefing.
Moderna also announced an investment of up to $500 million to build an messenger RNA vaccine facility in Africa, which would produce up to 500 million 50 µg half-doses of its COVID-19 vaccine annually.
WHO has repeatedly called for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine boosters to enable lower income countries to raise their vaccination rates. All three vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. are now available as boosters, including Moderna’s vaccine.
In June, the U.S. announced plans to donate a surplus of 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to other countries amid a surge in cases. According to White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients, donations were to be continued throughout the summer as supply became available.
Collapse
Read more about