Moderna Gets $1.5-Bn US Gov’t Contract for Supply of its COVID Vaccine

Moderna, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, has been awarded up to $1.525 billion, including incentive payments, by the US government to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of mRNA-1273, the company’s vaccine candidate against COVID-19.

The US government is providing up to $1.525 billion in funding for the supply of mRNA-1273 under a US Department of Defense contract. The US government had previously awarded up to $955 million for the development of mRNA-1273 to licensure through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. This brings the US government’s combined funding for the vaccine to up to $2.48 billion.

Under the agreement, the US government, as a part of Operation Warp Speed, a US government initiative to accelerate the development of vaccines and treatments against COVID-19, will also have the option to purchase up to an additional 400 million doses of mRNA-1273 from Moderna.

The US government reports that as part of a commitment to provide free access to COVID-19 vaccines, Americans will receive mRNA-1273 at no cost for the vaccine itself. As is customary with government-purchased vaccines, healthcare professionals could charge for the cost of administering the vaccine.

A Phase III clinical study of mRNA-1273, being conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and BARDA, began on July 27, 2020. Enrollment is on track to be completed in September (September 2020), according to the company.

Source: Moderna

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *