The UK Government has expanded upon its previous negotiations with Moderna to secure an additional two million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.
This latest agreement, signed on 29 November, means the UK has earmarked seven million doses of the biotech’s therapy in total, meaning 3.5 million UK citizens could be vaccinated on Moderna’s two-dose vaccine alone.
The government says this stockpile will be ready to roll out as early as Spring next year, subject to regulatory approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Achieving authorisation may not be a problem for Moderna’s candidate, however; in recent Phase 3 data, the vaccine showed efficacy rates of around 95%.
“Every week, we are getting more positive news about the range of vaccines in development, and thanks to the work of our taskforce the UK has pre-ordered hundreds of millions of doses from those companies most advanced in their work,” Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care Secretary, said of the news. “With a wide range of vaccine candidates in our portfolio, we stand ready to deploy a vaccine should they receive approval from our medicines regulator, starting with those who will benefit most.”
So far, the UK has secured a stockpile bigger and broader than any other country, with a total of 357 million doses from seven different vaccine developers.
Matt Fellows
This is a syndicated feed from Pharmafile
