The European Union announced Wednesday that it has agreed to buy a further 300 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine against COVID-19 and was injecting almost a quarter of a billion euros (almost $300 million) into efforts to counter the threat of coronavirus variants that are spreading on the continent, AP News reports.
Under the terms of the agreement, the European Commission has the option to purchase an additional 150 million doses to be delivered in 2022.
“We appreciate the European Commission’s confidence in Moderna and our mRNA platform. Today’s purchase of an additional 150 million doses brings their total order of our COVID-19 vaccine to 310 million for delivery in 2021,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.
“The European Commission is in discussions with us on how to prepare for 2022, including addressing potential variants, and the Commission has an option for an additional 150 million doses for delivery in 2022. Moderna is committed to working relentlessly to bring to market vaccine boosts with the relevant variants to address this global pandemic,” Bancel said.
“With a portfolio of up to 2.6 billion doses, we will be able to provide vaccines not just to our citizens, but to our neighbors and partners as well,” EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.
