(Newser)
– The Modern and Food and Drug Administration have agreed on a way to get more coronavirus vaccine to the destination and it sounds simple enough: put more in each ampoule. Filling the ampoules closer to the board will bring 40% more in each New York Times reports – 14 doses instead of 10. That could be enough to increase the vaccine supply in the US by 20%. The amount of a dose is 0.5 milliliters on the hill. The FDA has asked the company to provide data showing that the change will not reduce effectiveness. Work on production lines to adapt to the change could be completed by the end of April. “It would be a big step forward,” said Dr. Moncef Slaoui, who was involved in the Trump administration’s vaccine development program. “I think it will have a short-term impact.”
The company had requested approval of the change last month. It will make it easier to slow down when the bottles are filled, covered and labeled. The FDA may decide to inspect the production process after any changes. Moderna also wants the declared life of the vaccine, once the seal has been perforated, to be extended. The company said in a statement that it continues to increase production. Moderna said it has so far provided 41 million doses to the federal government, and President Biden said this week that the United States is buying another 100 million doses from Moderna. The true number of doses per vial can be cloudy: Although the CDC says there are 10, the special syringes have already managed to extract 11 doses. (Read more stories about the coronavirus vaccine.)