Moderna Inc. expects a shortage of doses of Covid-19 vaccine to be delivered to countries outside the United States, including Canada and the United Kingdom, citing problems with its European supply chain.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said Friday that the dose deficit is affecting second-quarter deliveries in a number of countries, but did not specify others beyond Canada and the United Kingdom. Manufacturing issues will not affect US supply.
“The growth trajectory of vaccine production is not linear and, despite the best efforts, there is a shortage of previously estimated doses in the European supply chain,” the company said in a statement. “Vaccine manufacturing is an extremely complex process and a number of elements, including human and material resources, have taken this volatility into account.”
The shortage marks the latest failure for efforts to increase production of Covid-19 vaccines. Modern and Pfizer Inc. they were initially able to produce only limited quantities while building their production capacity. In March, AstraZeneca PLC warned European officials that its production was not in line with plans. Also that month, Merck & Co. they agreed to help Johnson & Johnson make more of the vaccine.
Canadian Procurement Minister Anita Anand said in a statement circulated by his office that the next scheduled transport from Moderna scheduled for the end of April will be halved to 650,000 doses.