Washington, November 17: Moderna Inc, the biotechnology firm whose mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate was found 94.5 percent successful in phase 3 of trials, has produced "several million doses" in the United States. The confirmation was made by Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a statement issued on Tuesday. 

The Moderna chief executive officer suggested that the company is gearing up for immediate roll-out of vaccine in the American market, once the final decks are cleared by the US Food and Drug Administrator (FDA). In the Europe, however, the supplies could be "slower", he warned. Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: 6 Things You Didn't Know About the Coronavirus Vaccine That Has Reportedly Proven Over 94% Efficacy.

Update by AFP

The delay in finalising of contracts by several European countries will lead to "slower deliveries" in Europe, he said. Bancel's remarks came after Moderna announced the deal with the United Kingdom to supply the mRNA-based vaccine once cleared by the country's drug regulator.

“We appreciate the collaboration with the UK Government as with many other governments and other key partners around the world,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna.

"We are proud of our progress including the positive first interim analysis from our Phase 3 COVE study recently released. As we advance the clinical development of mRNA-1273, this continues to be a pivotal moment for us all," he added.

A day earlier, Moderna announced that the independent, U.S. NIH-appointed Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the Phase 3 study of its vaccine candidate, informed the company that the vaccine's efficacy rate was found to be 94.5 percent. The effectiveness rate is higher than Pfizer, which was found to be 90 percent effective among volunteers enrolled in the final round of tests.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2020 08:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).