Moderna developing booster shot for new coronavirus variants, increases vaccine production target

[webfact]

Moderna developing booster shot for new coronavirus variants, increases vaccine production target

By Julie Steenhuysen and Carl O'Donnell

 

FILE PHOTO: A Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine vial is pictured at St. Mary's Hospital, in Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland, February 14, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

 

(Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it is working with U.S. government scientists to study an experimental booster shot that targets a concerning new variant of the coronavirus, and has raised its global COVID-19 vaccine production goal for this year by 100 million doses.

 

The U.S. biotech company has produced raw material for a booster shot aimed at addressing the virus variant first found in South Africa that may be more resistant to existing vaccines, it said. It has shipped the vaccine to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which helped develop Moderna's current vaccine, for additional study.

 

Moderna is experimenting with several potential ways to combat new variants of the virus.

 

They include an additional booster shot that targets the variant now prevalent in South Africa and spreading globally, a combined booster shot that mixes its current COVID-19 vaccine with the experimental shot, and an extra booster shot on top of its current two-dose vaccine, the company said.

 

It will also experiment with using its experimental shot and the combined shot as primary vaccinations against COVID-19, administering two-dose regimens for people who have not yet received a shot and have not been infected.

 

The United States discovered its first case of the South African variant in January and it has since turned up in 14 states, according to U.S. government data. Several studies suggest it is more resistant to existing vaccines than other variants of the coronavirus.

 

Moderna also raised its expected vaccine production for 2021 to 700 million doses globally from 600 million, and is exploring further improvements to its manufacturing process that could raise production this year to as much as 1 billion doses.

 

The company said it is also investing in additional manufacturing capacity that should bring its 2022 global production to around 1.4 billion doses, from a previous projection of 1.2 billion.

 

It usually takes between six and nine months to develop a new manufacturing facility and additional time after that for regulatory inspection and to ramp up production, Moderna said.

 

Moderna has shipped a total of about 60 million doses so far, 55 million of which have gone to the United States. It is still ramping up its supply chain for global shipments, the company said.

 

Wednesday's announcements come ahead of a planned investor call on Thursday morning.

 

(Reporting by Carl O'Donnell and Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-25

 

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[Dagfinnur Traustason]

That´s a producer of vaccine! Maybe, Sinovac should call and get the recipe.

[Tug]

Excellent another arrow in our collective quiver 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Tug

[vandeventer]

Moderna vaccine, this is the vaccine we need here in Thailand!!! Why settle for less?

[chilly07]

And the Johnson and Johnson vac has been approved and is very effective including variants. What is Thailand waiting for? 10 thousand [Sinovacs] and 100 thousand AZ? Is that the best you can do? Beginning to think Thailand is waiting for the whole world to be vaccinated so that Thais are in the 30pc that don't need a vaccine because herd immunity has been achieved

Edited February 25, 2021 by onthedarkside
trolling name reference removed

[placnx]

4 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Moderna vaccine, this is the vaccine we need here in Thailand!!! Why settle for less?

Even a capacity of 1.4bn doses is inadequate for Thailand and all the others who would like to have some.

 

Considering the lead time to build up production mentioned here, 6-9 months, Western governments should be subsidizing construction as a way to have capacity in reserve.

 

Since there may be even more advanced vaccines in the pipeline, we don't want to undercut their development by flooding the market, but in the end there should be enough capacity to produce and vaccinate their populations within a few months of the emergence of a pathogen with pandemic potential. After their populations are taken care of, that capacity can then be redirected to vaccinating the world.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Another member found and posted this recent article on the issue of the various competing CV vaccines, and which one to chose, and whether or not to wait... The advice is, take whatever you can get, and don't wait!

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/02/12/all-covid-vaccines-stop-death-severe-illness-column/6709455002/

 

Take whatever COVID vaccine you can get. All of them stop death and hospitalization.

 

Waiting for a more effective vaccine is actually the worst thing you can do to lower your risk of getting severely ill and dying of COVID-19.

 

"The varying “effectiveness” rates miss the most important point: The vaccines were all 100% effective in the vaccine trials in stopping hospitalizations and death.Waiting for a more effective vaccine is actually the worst thing you can do to lower your risk of getting severely ill and dying of COVID-19. 

...

All seven COVID-19 vaccines that have completed large efficacy trials — Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Sinovac — appear to be 100% effective for serious complications. Not one vaccinated person has gotten sick enough to require hospitalization. Not a single vaccinated person has died of COVID-19."

[from the home of CC]

these vaccine companies will become the new Ford and GM. Only trouble is the new models every year will HAVE to be purchased..

[connda]

Now the serious money making begins.
LONG: Moderna