A detail of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine.
Allen J. Beetles | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Moderna said Monday that it had received “positive feedback” from the Food and Drug Administration on its proposal to increase the number of doses of Covid-19 vaccine in each of its ampoules.
One bottle of Moderna two-shot vaccine contains ten doses, enough to inoculate five people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CNBC reported last month that Moderna had asked the FDA for permission to fill its vials of Covid-19 vaccine with up to five additional doses to ease the blockage in manufacturing.
In the prepared testimony presented before a hearing of the Chamber on Tuesday, the President of Moderna, Stephen Hoge, said that the US agency gave the company “positive feedback on our proposal and we are looking for a plan that can allow up to 15 doses to be extracted from each bottle. “
“This will allow us to produce and deliver more doses faster,” Hoge told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee. compromising quality or safety. “
The revelation comes as President Joe Biden tries to pick up the pace of vaccinations in the US after a slower-than-expected launch under former President Donald Trump, and states are complaining that they do not have enough doses.
Biden announced on February 11 that his administration had secured agreements with Pfizer and Moderna for another 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, bringing the total to 600 million in the United States. Because both approved vaccines require two doses given in about three to four weeks, a total of 600 million doses would be enough to inoculate 300 million people. The Biden administration expects all this to be done by the end of July.
It is unclear whether the increase in doses per vial is why Moderna now expects to deliver 300 million doses by the end of July.
In December, the FDA said health care providers could use additional doses of vials with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Those vials are said to contain five doses, but some suppliers have been able to extract the sixth or even seventh dose. As with Pfizer, some vendors have been able to extract an additional dose of Moderna vaccine using special syringes.