Moderna, planning big COVID-19 capacity upgrades, pledges 500M doses to COVAX

With up to 3 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in its sights for 2022, Moderna has locked up a deal to spread its shot far and wide starting late this year. Moderna inked a supply pact to provide up to 500 million doses of its pandemic vaccine to COVAX, the global shot distribution initiative co-led by Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Moderna will sell an initial 34 million doses for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the option to sell another 466 million doses next year, the company said in a release. The shots will go out to the 92 COVAX countries covered by an Advance Market Commitment, which helps fund purchase agreements for low- and middle-income nations. Moderna says it's in talks to set aside doses for self-financing participants in the future