The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna it can add up to 40 percent more of its COVID-19 vaccine formula to each of its vial shipments, sources tell The New York Times
Officials will ask Moderna to submit additional data confirming that the change in dosage does not impair the efficacy of the vaccine.
With this permission, the company can now add 14 doses to each vial instead of the current 10.
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Along with Pfizer, Moderna is the only company whose COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for administration in the US and was one of the first companies to receive federal funding under former President Trump’s Operation War Speed initiative.
A 14-dose vial could lead to an increase in the overall US vaccine supply by about 20 percent, reporters note.
This follows President Biden’s decision to purchase an additional 100 million doses of Moderna vaccine earlier this week. Moderna has delivered 41 million doses of its vaccine to the US government, the company said.
“We appreciate the confidence the US government has shown in our COVID-19 vaccine,” said Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive officer, in a press release. “We continue to expand our production capacity both within and outside the United States. Our goal is to get our vaccine to as many people around the world as possible to end this pandemic. It is encouraging and humbling to know that more than 22 million Americans have already been protected with the Moderna vaccine. “
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that the Moderna multidose vial currently contains 10 doses per vial, with a dosage amount of 0.5 milliliter.
Moderna had requested permission to increase the number of doses in the vials to approximately 15, more than the current 10 doses per vial.
Between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, more than 48 million vaccines have been administered in the US While cases have been gradually declining in recent months, new, more contagious variants of COVID-19 have been reported in parts of the US, putting pressure on the vaccine deployment infrastructure.
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