Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Emergency Use in UK

The UK has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine through a temporary authorization pathway, gaining a third option to add to approved vaccines from AstraZeneca/Oxford University and Pfizer/BioNTech.

Formerly known as mRNA-1273, COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna is 94.1 percent effective and is authorized as a double-dose regimen for adults 18 years and older to be given within 28 days of each other.

The UK has ordered 17 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine (DID, Nov. 5, 2020) and 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (DID, Dec. 3, 2020) — more than enough to inoculate the entire population of 68 million.

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the vaccine will most likely provide protection for “a couple of years” and will also protect against mutant coronavirus strains identified in the UK and South Africa (DID, Jan. 8).

Moderna’s messenger RNA-based vaccine has clear advantages over the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which must be shipped at ultra-cold temperatures and can only be stored for five days at normal refrigeration temperatures. By contrast, Moderna’s vaccine can be shipped at -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) and can be kept in a refrigerator for up to six months.

However, the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is cheaper than both and can be shipped and stored at normal refrigeration temperatures of 35.6 to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 8 Celsius).

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to vaccinate 15 million of the most vulnerable groups by Feb. 15, but only about 1.5 million people have so far received their first dose.

Controversially, the UK has chosen to inoculate as many of the priority groups as possible with a first dose and to delay a second shot if necessary — or even allow inoculation with an alternate vaccine for the second dose. This contrasts with the U.S. approach of stockpiling second doses to ensure vaccinated groups will get their booster shots on time (DID, Jan. 5).

The Moderna vaccine also received conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission last week (DID, Jan. 7). ― Jason Scott