Moderna has maxed out on its manufacturing capacity for 2021 and has shifted its focus to 2022 and 2023 advanced purchasing orders for its COVID 19 vaccine, officials said Thursday.
The company reported $2.8 billion in vaccine revenue for the second quarter and anticipates pricing of doses will fall and impact revenue as more low- and middle-income countries become dominant purchasers, according to officials on an earnings call.
In addition, Moderna expects the global pandemic to become COVID - 19 endemic by then and is in discussions with countries about their vaccine needs.
A global need for 2021 remains a concern for the World Health Organization, which calls on a moratorium on booster shots until September. Despite this call, countries like Israel, Germany and France — all of which have bought Moderna doses - said that they would continue booster programs for most vulnerable students.
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2021 file photo, Tyson Foods team members receive COVID - 19 vaccines from health officials at the Wilkesboro, N.C. facility. Tyson Foods will require all of its U.S. employees to get vaccinated against COVID - 19, becoming one of the first major employers for frontline workers to do so amid a resurgence of the virus. Tyson, one of the world's largest food companies, announced Tuesday, Aug. 3 that members of Leadership Team must be vaccinated by Sept. 24 and the rest of its office workers will be posted by Oct. 1.
The WHO called on anyone with influence, including vaccine manufacturers, to donate up to the goal of vaccination of 10% of each country in the world by the end of September.
Stphane Bancel CEO revealed in an interview with Yahoo Finance in Thursday that implementation is out of manufacturers' hands.
We cannot do much as a manufacturer that vaccines are in their warehouse, we have a legal commitment to ship the current vaccine, Bancel said.
Bancel added that the shipments are not a differentiated booster vaccine vial. Once the doses are in those warehouses, it's up to the country to decide if the vaccines are used for initial rounds or booster shots, he said.
It's really, I think, a discussion that needs to happen between WHO and the countries. I don't see how manufacturers can impact that, Bancel said.