Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Moderna Inc. said it will deliver less Covid-19 vaccine than planned to the UK, Canada and other countries this quarter due to a shortage of doses in its European supply chain.
Moderna, which works with a Swiss partner Lonza Group AG to shoot in Europe attributed the reduction in deliveries to a slower than expected increase in production capacity. Moderna has its own factory in Massachusetts that serves the US
The reduced deliveries to other countries will further limit the global supply of vaccines, with injections from Johnson & Johnson on hold in much of the world due to concerns about a link with rare but dangerous blood clots, a problem that has also led to restrictions on the use of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine in Europe.
“The trajectory of the increase in vaccine production is not linear, and despite best efforts, there is a shortage of previously estimated doses,” Moderna said in a statement Friday. “Vaccine production is a very complex process and a number of elements, including human and material resources, have taken this volatility into account.”
Shipments to the UK will be reduced from this month, just days after the Moderna vaccine was rolled out in Britain, which will affect the total number of doses expected to be delivered by the end of June.
UK program
The UK’s vaccination program has been a bright spot in Britain’s response to the pandemic, now that nearly half of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. However, the pace appears to be slowing in the coming weeks after a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India was delayed, causing the government to shift its focus to delivering second doses.
The UK has purchased 17 million doses of the Moderna shot, the smallest contract in its vaccine portfolio.
The company has also told the Canadian government that it will almost halve expected deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines this month as it struggles to stem a third wave of coronavirus cases. according to Minister of Procurement Anita Anand.
Canada will now receive 650,000 doses by the end of April, instead of the 1.2 million originally planned. A whopping 2 million more scheduled to arrive at the end of June will arrive at the end of September, Anand said via email.
Lonza did not immediately respond to phone and email messages asking for comment.
– With the help of Tim Loh and Robert Langreth
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