Moderna sees shortfall in Britain COVID vaccine shipments, EU deliveries on track

16/04/2021 Britain, Canada, Company News, coronavirus, Europe:, health, Moderna, supply, Switzerland, United Kingdom, US

FILE PHOTO: Nurses from Humber River Hospital’s mobile vaccine clinic prepare the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at pharmaceutical company Apotex, as part of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 13, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

ZURICH (Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Moderna expects a shortfall in COVID-19 vaccine doses from its European supply chain hitting second-quarter delivery quantities for Britain and Canada, though European Union- and Swiss-bound shipments are on track, a spokesperson said.

The delays, first announced on Friday when Canada said Moderna would be delivering only about half the planned 1.2 million doses by the end of April, come as Switzerland’s Lonza ramps up three new production lines to make active ingredients for Moderna vaccine supplies outside of the United States.

“The trajectory of vaccine manufacturing ramp-up is not linear, and despite best efforts, there is a shortfall in previously estimated doses from the European supply chain,” Moderna said in a statement.

Lonza didn’t immediately return a phone call and email seeking comment on any issues in its production.

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