The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has told the pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna that it can start adding up to 40 percent more of its COVID-19 vaccine formula to each of its bottle shipments, sources tell The New York Times.
The authorities will ask Moderna to send additional data confirming that changing the dosage amount will not impair the vaccine’s effectiveness.
With this permission, the company will now be able to add 14 doses to each bottle instead of the current 10.
AMERICANS WILL NEED TO USE MASKS DURING ‘SEVERAL, SEVERAL MONTHS’, FAUCI SAYS
TRUMP WAS MUCH MORE PATIENT WITH COVID-19 THAN I THOUGHTED ABOVE, THE REPORT SAYS
CDC SAYS THAT IF YOU ARE VACCINATED, YOU CAN SKIP QUARANTINES COVID-19
IS IT DANGEROUS OR INTELLIGENT TO OBTAIN TWO DIFFERENT COVID-19 VACCINES?
Together with Pfizer, Moderna is the only company whose COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for administration in the United States and was one of the first companies to receive federal funding under former President Trump’s Operation War Speed initiative.
A 14-dose vial can lead to an increase of about 20% in the overall vaccine supply in the United States, reporters note.
This follows President Biden’s decision to purchase another 100 million additional doses of Moderna’s vaccine earlier this week. According to the company, Moderna supplied 41 million doses of its vaccine to the United States government.
“We appreciate the confidence the US government has shown in our COVID-19 vaccine,” said Stéphane Bancel, executive director of Moderna, in a press release. “We continue to increase our manufacturing capacity, both inside and outside the United States. Our goal is to bring our vaccine to as many people as possible around the world to help end this pandemic. It is encouraging and humble to know that more than 22 million Americans have already been protected with Moderna’s vaccine. “
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grades that the multidose vial of Moderna currently contains 10 doses per vial, with a dosage amount of 0.5 milliliters.
Moderna has requested permission to increase the number of doses in its bottles to about 15 in addition to its current number of 10 doses per bottle.
Between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, more than 48 million vaccines were administered in the USA. Although cases in recent months have gradually declined, new, more contagious variants of COVID-19 have been reported in parts of the U.S., putting pressure on the vaccine’s delivery infrastructure to maintain it.
SOUTH AFRICA COVID-19 STRAIN IS PROBABLE IS SPREADING, BUT THE VACCINES STAY ‘STRONG TOOL’: CDC
PFIZER AND MODERN VACCINES CAN BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
WHY ANTI-VAXXERS ARE GAINING LAND AMONG THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
CDC SAYS THE RISK OF CORONAVIRUS IN SCHOOLS IS SMALL