HHS purchases 100 million additional doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidate

The Department of Health and Human Services Dec. 11 announced it would purchase from Moderna 100 million additional doses of its mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The candidate, which was co-developed by Moderna with scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, is slated for a Dec. 17 review by the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. The vaccine requires two doses, administered 28 days apart.

The purchase doubles the amount of Moderna vaccine owned by the federal government, to 200 million.