Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Moderna Inc. said it will deliver fewer Covid-19 vaccines than planned in the UK, Canada and other countries this quarter due to a shortage of doses in its European supply chain.
Modern, working with the Swiss partner Lonza Group AG, which will take photos in Europe, attributed the reduction in deliveries to a slower-than-expected increase in production capacity. Moderna has its own factory in Massachusetts, which supplies the USA
Reduced deliveries to other countries will further constrain global supply of vaccines with hits from Johnson & Johnson waiting in large part of the world for concerns about the connection with rare but dangerous blood clots, a problem that has also led to restrictions on the use of The AstraZeneca Plc vaccine in Europe.
“The trajectory of increasing vaccine production is not linear and, despite the best efforts, there is a shortage of previously estimated doses,” Moderna said in a statement on Friday. “Vaccine manufacturing is an extremely complex process and a number of elements, including human and material resources, have taken this volatility into account.”
Shipments to the UK will be reduced starting this month, just days after the launch of the Moderna vaccine in the UK, which will affect the total number of doses expected to be delivered by the end of June.
United Kingdom program
The UK immunization program was a bright spot in Britain’s response to the pandemic, with almost half of the population now being vaccinated with at least one dose. The pace appears to be slowing in the coming weeks, however, after a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India was delayed, prompting the government to focus on administering second doses.
The UK has purchased 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, the smallest contract in its vaccine portfolio.
The company also told the Canadian government that it will halve expected deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines this month as it struggles to contain a third wave of coronavirus cases. according to the Minister of Procurement, Anita Anand.
Canada will now receive 650,000 doses by the end of April, instead of the 1.2 million originally planned. Another 2 million are scheduled to arrive by the end of June by the end of September, Anand said in an email.
Lonza did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails requesting comments.
– With the assistance of Tim Loh and Robert Langreth
(Updates throughout)