After purchasing 100 million doses of Pfizer’s vax candidate earlier this year, the U.S. government reportedly missed out on an opportunity to purchase 100 million more. Instead, Pfizer went on to lock in contracts with other countries and said it would not be able to supply the U.S. with more doses until midway through 2021.
Now, facing concerns that the U.S.’s supply of vaccines could quickly dry up, the government has doubled its initial order with Moderna and has agreed to purchase 100 million more doses of its vaccine for a total of $3.2 billion. The new, expanded contract will reportedly ensure that the U.S. has a steady stream of shots through June 2021.
All told, the U.S. government, through Operation Warp Speed, has funneled $4.1 billion into Moderna’s vaccine for development and purchasing agreements.
Under its initial contract with Moderna, the U.S. government has the option to purchase another 300 million shots at a later time. Currently, the U.S. has locked in deals to buy 800 million doses of coronavirus vaccine candidates being developed by six different manufacturers.
The FDA is expected to render a decision about Moderna’s mRNA candidate by the end of this week. Once approved, the U.S. officials plan to make initial shipments of 6 million doses of the candidate.
