Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance said on Monday it had signed an advance purchase agreement with Moderna to secure 500 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for the global COVAX program.
The vaccine last week was cleared for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO), making it eligible for Covax, according to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, one of the partners in the initiative.
“We are very pleased to sign this new agreement with Moderna, giving COVAX Facility participants access to yet another highly efficacious vaccine,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi.
Moderna is joining developers including AstraZeneca Plc, Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson in supplying Covax, which has faced setbacks in its bid to help lower-income nations.
According to a Bloomberg report, the roll out of the purchase will start in the fourth quarter, with 34 million doses available this year, Gavi said on Monday.
The announcement came as Sweden also plans to donate 1 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to COVAX.
Gavi has said it’s seeking to raise $2 billion by June to secure additional doses to cover as much as 30 percent of the populations in 92 lower-income economies.
Covax is led by Gavi, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and works with organizations including UNICEF as well.
