OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says another Canadian vaccine supplier will have to cut back on deliveries next week.
Moderna will only add about three-quarters of the expected supply, cutting Canada’s next shipment by more than 50,000 doses.
Canada should receive more than 230,000 doses from Moderna next week, but instead receive just under 180,000.
The Canadian manager of Canerna said in a written statement that the delay is related to the release of the “drug content” part of the Moderna vaccine, which is being made by the Swiss drugmaker Lonza. the Visp, Switzerland.
Patricia Gauthier said the delay is short-term for non-US clients, and that the company is still able to deliver on the promised doses in the first three months of the year. For Canada, that is two million doses. Canada has received 340,200 doses from Moderna to date.
U.S. shipments from Moderna come from plants within the United States.
“Moderna remains focused on operating at the highest level of quality to ensure the safety of the vaccine,” Gauthier said.
Lonza is creating three new production lines in Visp to make the drug components of the Moderna vaccine. The first production started in early January and the others were added by the end of March.
Trudeau said it does not expect companies that take up the manufacture of these vaccines from abrupt delays in the early days.
Similar cuts are being made to European deliveries, with Italy, France and Switzerland all reporting that they are also receiving less than 80 percent of the expected doses.
This is bad news for Canada ‘s existing vaccine products, after Pfizer cut deliveries back more than two – thirds from mid – January. Canadian provinces have had to drastically reduce vaccination since Pfizer shipments
Pfizer is also pushing Canada to change the label on its vaccine to state that each vial contains six doses, instead of five, allowing the drug dealer to fulfill his delivery contract by adding more less of vials.
But Trudeau says new export controls in Europe will not force COVID-19 vaccines issued there to affect Canada, and he expects Pfizer and Moderna to get caught on their deliveries too long.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that the Commission continues to threaten to force COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to show them what vaccines they are making in the region. Eòrpa and where they are going.
She said the export transparency rule is temporary but must be done as the continent is in an ongoing battle with vaccine manufacturers over slow delivery.
Both Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca are behind on the scheduled deliveries to European countries, but this is the second one with which Europe is fighting hard, calling for doses of UK-made company vessels United to make up for deficiencies due to production issues in its European plants.
Trudeau spoke to von der Leyen earlier in the week and said she told him Canadian delivery would continue. International Trade Minister Mary Ng on Thursday spoke with European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, and said he reaffirmed that confirmation.
The delivery news surpasses Friday’s progressive vaccine development with American pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson reporting that its excellent vaccine has prevented people from being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.
The vaccine is the first to use just one dose and can be stored in refrigerators for up to three months, making it a potential game changer in the COVID-19 vaccine campaign.
The results are not as good as those seen in the two vaccines that Health Canada has already approved, with both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna saying their vaccines showed 95 percent effectiveness against severe illness.
Johnson and Johnson say his single-dose vaccine is 85 percent effective against a serious illness a month after the injection, and 66 percent effective against both moderate and severe illness.
The federal government has already purchased 10 million doses of the vaccine, but Health Canada is still reviewing it.
There is still no timeline for when an agreement could be reached or when these doses would be delivered for use in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 29, 2021.
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