Modern COVID-19 vaccine vials are seen at Apotex Pharmaceutical as a mobile vaccine clinic at Humber River Hospital that vaccinates employees as part of the coronavirus vaccination campaign (COVID-19) , in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 13, 2021. REUTERS / Carlos Osorio
Moderna Inc. (MRNA.O) said Friday that the lack of doses of COVID-19 vaccines from its European suppliers will delay deliveries to countries such as Canada and Britain, but shipments to the European Union and Switzerland are on track.
The drug maker will deliver about 650,000 doses by the end of April, not the expected 1.2 million, said Canada’s Procurement Minister Anita Anand.
In addition, between one million and two million doses Modern of the 12.3 million doses planned for the second trimester would be delayed until the third. Read more
These delivery problems further complicate the problems of European vaccines that are already exacerbated by rare side effects related to the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccines, and Britain advises pregnant women to have now Modern or Pfizer. Read more
Moderna officials solved problems with the increase in the vaccine manufacturing supply chain, which includes drug contractor Lonza (LONN.S). The Swiss company is under pressure to start operating at three new facilities where it manufactures active ingredients for Moderna’s mRNA vaccine.
“Vaccine manufacturing is a highly complex process and several elements, including human and material resources, have taken this volatility into account,” said Patricia Gauthier, executive at Modern Canada.
A spokeswoman for Moderna in Europe said it was expected that deliveries from the EU and Switzerland during the second quarter would fall within the planned limits, without giving them up. Read more
Lonza, which also manufactures Modern ingredients for U.S. use in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, did not respond to requests for feedback on withholdings on its production lines in Switzerland.
“CRUISE SPEED”
Lonza chief executive Pierre-Alain Ruffieux has said it could be months before his plants reach “cruising speed”.
With Lonza under pressure, Moderna hired this week Rovi (ROVI.MC), another contract pharmacist who is already bottling Moderna’s vaccine, to build new ingredient production facilities in Granada to raise European production. Read more
The bottling, also called “fill-and-finish”, continues to be on track at Rovi, as is a French line that will soon be put into operation at Recipharm RCPHF.PK in Sweden.
Canada distributed 2.82 million doses of the Modern vaccine on April 14 and 12.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in total.
Modern aims to deliver 700 to 1 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide this year and more than 2 billion doses next year.
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