Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are seen at Apotex pharmaceutical company as the Humber River Hospital mobile vaccine clinic that vaccinates employees as part of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination campaign, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 13, 2021 REUTERS / Carlos Osorio
Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said Friday that a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine doses from its European suppliers will slow deliveries to countries like Canada and Great Britain, but deliveries to the European Union and Switzerland are on track.
The drug company will deliver about 650,000 doses by the end of April, not the expected 1.2 million, Canadian procurement minister Anita Anand said.
In addition, one million to two million doses of Moderna of the 12.3 million doses scheduled for the second quarter would be delayed to the third. read more
These delivery problems complicate the European vaccination issues already exacerbated by rare side effects associated with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccines, with Britain now advising pregnant women to get Moderna or Pfizer injections. read more
Moderna officials documented problems ramping up the vaccine manufacturing supply chain, including contract manufacturer Lonza (LONN.S). The Swiss company is under pressure to start operations in three new facilities making active ingredients for Moderna’s mRNA vaccine.
“Vaccine production is a very complex process and a number of elements, including human and material resources, have taken this volatility into account,” said Patricia Gauthier, a manager at Moderna Canada.
A Moderna spokeswoman in Europe said deliveries from the EU and Switzerland would still fall within expected ranges in the second quarter, without giving up the ranges. read more
Lonza, which also makes Moderna ingredients for use in the US in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, did not respond to requests for comments about delays on its production lines in Switzerland.
“CRUISING SPEED”
Lonza Chief Executive Pierre-Alain Ruffieux has said it could take months for his factories to reach “cruising speed”.
With Lonza under pressure, Moderna engaged Spain’s Rovi (ROVI.MC) this week, another contract drugmaker already bottling Moderna’s vaccine, to build new ingredients manufacturing facilities in Granada to increase European production. read more
The bottling, also referred to as “fill-and-finish”, remains on schedule at Rovi, as does a soon-to-be-used French line at Swedish Recipharm RCPHF.PK.
Canada distributed 2.82 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and a total of 12.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on April 14.
Moderna aims to deliver 700 million to 1 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide this year, and more than 2 billion doses next year.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Principles of Trust.