US government agrees with Moderna on vaccine supply for 100 million doses - at a $1.5 billion scale

 Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

米政府、１億回分のワクチン供給でモデルナと合意　１５億ドル規模

2020.08.12 Wed posted at 15:32 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 米厚生省はバイオ企業モデルナが開発中の新型コロナウイルスワクチンについて、承認が得られ次第、モデルナが１億回分の製造と供給を行うことで合意したと明らかにした。

トランプ大統領も１１日の記者会見で合意を発表した。

モデルナは当局の承認前からワクチンの製造を進めている企業のひとつ。新型コロナワクチンは現在、安全性と有効性を確認する臨床試験が進められている。

モデルナとの契約は総額１５億２５００万ドル（約１６００億円）規模。１億回分は米政府が所有し、新型コロナワクチン開発計画の一環で配布および使用する方針。実際に使用する場合、米国民に無料で投与される。政府は追加で４億回分を入手することも可能だという。

このワクチンは「ｍＲＮＡ－１２７３」と呼ばれ、モデルナが米政府と共同で開発した。開発に当たっては国立アレルギー感染症研究所（ＮＩＡＩＤ）から支援を受け、生物医学先端研究開発局（ＢＡＲＤＡ）も後期臨床試験や増産について支援している。

モデルナの後期臨床試験は７月２７日から始まった。米国で政府の資金支援を受ける第３相の臨床試験が行われるのは初めて。

米政府は７月、米ファイザーと１億回分のワクチン供給で合意し、８月には米ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンのワクチン開発部門であるヤンセンとも同様の合意にこぎ着けた。このほか英グラクソ・スミスクライン、仏サノフィパスツール、米ノババックス、英アストラゼネカとも合意を結んでいる。

世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）によると、現時点では２８種類の新型コロナワクチンの臨床試験が進行中だという。

Translation

(CNN) The US Department of Health announced that a bio-enterprise Moderna had agreed to manufacture and supply 100 million doses of the new coronavirus vaccine under development by Moderna as soon as approval was obtained.

President Trump also announced the agreement at a press conference on the 11th.

Moderna was one of the companies that had been manufacturing vaccines before the approval of the authorities. The new corona vaccine was currently undergoing clinical trials to confirm its safety and efficacy.

The contract with Moderna reached a total of $1,525 million (about 160 billion yen). 100 million doses would be owned by the US government and as part of the new corona vaccine development plan, it would be distributed and used. In actual usage, it would be given free of charge to Americans. Also, the government could obtain an additional 400 million doses.

This vaccine was called "mRNA-1273" and was developed by Moderna in collaboration with the US government. The development was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Advanced Biomedical Research and Development Agency (BARDA) also supported the late-stage clinical trials and production increase.

The late-stage clinical trials in Moderna began on July 27. This was the first time for a phase 3 clinical trial to be conducted in the United States with government funding.

In July, the US government agreed with Pfizer to supply 100 million doses of vaccine, and in August it reached a similar agreement with Janssen, the vaccine development division of Johnson & Johnson. In addition, it also had signed agreements with GlaxoSmithKline in Britain, Sanofi Pasteur in France, Nova Bucks in the US, and AstraZeneca in the UK.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), currently clinical trials of 28 new corona vaccines were in progress.

              So, there were a quite a few choices available for the Americans as far as vaccination for Covid-19 is concerned.