COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturers Accelerate Production, Producing Far More Doses Per Week Than Earlier In The Year, Progress That Accelerates Mass Vaccination Campaigns In The U.S.
After a slow start, Pfizer Inc. PFE,
its partner BioNTech SE BNTX,
and Modern Inc. MRNA,
they increased production by gaining experience, expanding production lines and taking other steps, such as manufacturing certain raw materials on their own.
Pfizer figured out how to spread the rare reserves of special filters needed for the vaccine production process by recycling them. Moderna has shortened the time required to inspect and package newly made vaccine vials.
Companies – along with Johnson & Johnson JNJ,
which recently launched a vaccine Covid-19 – also joins other companies to further increase production.
In addition, the US government has helped vaccine manufacturers access supplies under the Defense Production Act, say suppliers and government officials. The Biden administration this month said it used the act to provide $ 105 million in funding to help Merck & Co. MRK,
make doses of J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine and speed up the materials used in its production.
US monthly production for the three licensed vaccines is expected to reach 132 million doses in March, nearly tripling the 48 million in February, according to estimates by Evercore ISI analysts.
An extended version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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