A detail about the Modern COVID-19 vaccine.
Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Moderna said Monday it had received “positive feedback” from the Food and Drug Administration on its proposal to increase the number of doses of Covid-19 in each of the vials.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, one vial of Moderna’s two-vaccine contains ten doses that are enough to vaccinate five people. CNBC reported last month that Moderna has asked the FDA for permission to fill its Covid-19 vaccination dishes with five additional doses to facilitate a bottleneck in manufacturing.
In prepared testimony submitted before a home trial on Tuesday, Moderna president Stephen Hoge said the U.S. agency had given the company ‘positive feedback’ on our proposal, and that we were pursuing a plan that included up to 15 doses from each vial. can cause pull. “
“This will enable us to produce and deliver more doses faster,” Hoge told the House Committee on Supervision and Investigation. We will continue to work with our manufacturing partners and the federal government to increase the efficiency of our manufacturing process without compromising quality or safety. “
The revelation comes as President Joe Biden tries to increase the rate of vaccinations in the US after a slower-than-expected implementation under former President Donald Trump, and states complain that they do not have enough doses.
Biden announced on February 11 that his government had obtained deals with Pfizer and Moderna for another 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, bringing the U.S. total to 600 million. Since both authorized vaccines require two doses given approximately three to four weeks apart, a total of 600 million doses would be enough to vaccinate 300 million people. The Biden administration expects this to happen by the end of July.
It is unclear whether the increase in doses per vial is the reason why Moderna now expects to be able to deliver 300 million doses by the end of July.
In December, the FDA said healthcare providers could use extra doses from the vials of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. These vials were said to contain five doses, but some suppliers were able to withdraw a sixth or even seventh dose. As with Pfizer, some suppliers may also use an extra dose of Moderna’s vaccine using special syringes.