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 It has agreed a deal with Swiss-based drugmaker Lonza which said a
new drug substance production line in Geleen, Netherlands, will have
capacity to make ingredients for up to 300 million doses annually at
50 micrograms per dose.
"We're assuming that as of 2022, we are going to have a mix of dose
levels on the market," a spokeswoman for Moderna said, following the
announcement of Lonza's new production.
Moderna, which has been studying lower-dose versions to help stretch
supplies of its vaccine, has been delivering an approved
100-microgram dose to date.
The drugmaker has said early booster shot data for a 50-microgram
version showed it helped protect against emerging virus variants.
Lower-doses may also be given to children who may not require a full
one.
Combined with a previous deal with Spain's Rovi, Moderna's pact with
Lonza brings 50-microgram production in Europe to up to 600 million
doses annually, with the capacity due to come on line this year.
[to top of second column] |
 Pfizer's and BioNTech's mRNA
shot has been approved for 12-15 year olds in
Europe and the United States, and Moderna is
aiming for approval for teens as data showed its
shot has been found safe and effective.
Moderna aims to deliver up to 3 billion doses in
2022, up from 800 million to 1 billion doses
this year, but has not specified the dosing mix.
In addition to the planned Dutch production,
Lonza has three production lines in Visp,
Switzerland, where it is ramping up annual
capacity to 300 million doses at 100 micrograms
per dose. In April, it announced plans to double
Visp production by next year.
The Swiss drugmaker also produces ingredients
for Moderna in the United States. Sweden's
Recipharm, Samsung Biologics as well as
ThermoFisher, which inked a deal with Moderna
this week, also have roles in making the shot.
(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Riham
Alkousaa, Edwina Gibbs and Alexander Smith)
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