The global COVAX initiative received a major boost in its fight against COVID-19 this week through a new deal with Moderna, Inc. that will bring up to 500 million doses of vaccine into the fold for use by the lowest income countries, including up to 34 million doses this year alone.
Delivery of this year’s shots will begin in the fourth quarter, but the rest could be granted throughout next year. COVAX, a united effort by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the World Health Organization (WHO), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will gain the mRNA vaccines at the lowest price point offered. These vaccines will be used to help provide equitable access by countries of any income level, and specifically, will benefit the 92 Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) low- and middle-income nations.
“I am grateful to our Gavi and COVAX partners for their tireless work and to the entire Moderna team for their collaboration to reach this agreement. This is an important milestone as we work to ensure that people around the world have access to our COVID-19 vaccine,” Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said. “We recognize that many countries have limited resources to access COVID-19 vaccines. We support COVAX’s mission to ensure broad, affordable, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, and we remain committed to doing everything that we can to ending this ongoing pandemic with our mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.”
The announcement followed the issuance of an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by WHO on April 30. Under that authorization, it can be given to anyone aged 18 years or older. That listing was a prerequisite for COVAX eligibility.
“We are very pleased to sign this new agreement with Moderna, giving COVAX Facility participants access to yet another highly efficacious vaccine,” Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, said. “Expanding and having a diverse portfolio has always been a core goal for COVAX, and to remain adaptable in the face of this continually evolving pandemic – including the rising threat posed by new variants. This agreement is a further step in that direction.”
Gavi has thus far shipped 49 million doses of various COVID-19 doses to 121 countries throughout the world. Through the initiative, COVAX and its partners hope to offer 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by year’s end, with half to be given to the 92 lower-income nations. In addition to the new Moderna offerings, this effort gained the help of 1 million AstraZeneca shots donated by Sweden this week.