Moderna says it is on track to make 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccine by year-end
Moderna said on Friday it was on track to produce 20 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, while maintaining its goal of readying 500 million to one billion doses in 2021.
Vaccines and treatments are seen as essential in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic that has shown no signs of slowing and killed over 944,000 people worldwide.
A handful of vaccines, including those from Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca, are also being tested in large studies.
Moderna had enrolled 25,296 participants out of a planned 30,000 in its late-stage study as of Wednesday.
The company's CEO, Stephane Bancel said that the trial will likely yield enough data to know whether the vaccine is effective in a Thursday Squawkbox interview.
He said it was possible, but unlikely, that the data could be available by October, and that the company would know if it works by December at the latest, in the 'worst case scenario. '
Moderna said on Friday that it could produce as many as 20 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year
Bancel noted that if the rate of infections in the US slows dramatically in the coming weeks, it could delay the results of the trial. At least 53 participants need to catch coronavirus in order for scientists to know whether those who got vaccinated are less likely to get sick than those who were given a placebo.
The company is working with Switzerland's Lonza Group AG and Spain's Laboratorios Farmacéuticos Rovi to make the vaccine outside the United States.
Moderna has a vaccine supply deal in place with the U.S. for 100 million doses, and has finished advanced talks with the European Union for the vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates that 35 million to 45 million doses of vaccines from the first two companies to receive authorization will be available in the United States by the end of this year.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said that the company should know if its vaccine works by November, or year end in the 'worst case scenario'
The agency's 'gameplan' advises states to be ready to start distributing vaccines as early as the end of October.
President Trump has made no secret of his hope for a vaccine to be ready to before the November 3 election.
Moderna's shot is widely considered a top contender to be one of the first ready, alongside Pfizer's.
Moderna plans to seek emergency authorization for its vaccine's use in high-risk groups if it proves to be at least 70 percent effective, its chief executive officer told Reuters earlier this week.
