Coronavirus

US Buying 100M More Doses of Moderna's Vaccine, Doubling Its Purchase

"We appreciate the confidence that the U.S. government continues to have in mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate," the Massachusetts-based company's CEO said

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Trump administration officials announced on Friday the purchase of 100 million additional doses of an upcoming vaccine from drugmaker Moderna. That's on top of a previous purchase of 100 million doses.

The Food and Drug Administration's expert advisory panel is scheduled to review Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna's vaccine next Thursday, with a decision on whether to give it full approval soon thereafter.

“We appreciate the confidence that the U.S. government continues to have in mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, demonstrated by this increased supply agreement,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the purchase will further boost the country's vaccination capabilities.

"This new federal purchase can give Americans even greater confidence we will have enough supply to vaccinate all Americans who want it by the second quarter of 2021," he said in a statement.

The announcement of the purchase comes as the Trump administration put pressure on the head of the FDA to approve Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day, a step the agency was already likely to take by the weekend.

Moderna hopes to enroll about 3,000 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 in a clinical trial. Participants would have to take two doses of the vaccine four weeks apart. Half the group would get a placebo.

On Thursday, Moderna announced it had begun administering its coronavirus vaccine to adolescents as part of the second phase of its trial.

NBC/The Associated Press
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