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(Reuters) – Pfizer Inc’s supply chain challenges for its COVID-19 vaccine played a role in its decision to cut its 2020 production target, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Pfizer has said in recent weeks that it anticipates producing 50 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year. That’s below a previous goal of 100 million doses. Pfizer’s vaccine is based on a two-dose regimen, which means that 50 million doses are enough to inoculate 25 million people.
A company spokeswoman told the Journal that “expanding the raw material supply chain took longer than expected.” He also cited later-than-expected results from Pfizer’s clinical trial as a reason for the company’s lowered expectations for vaccine production this year, the Journal reported.
The Journal reported that an unidentified person directly involved in the development of the Pfizer vaccine said that “some initial batches of raw materials did not meet the standards,” causing production delays.
Pfizer applied for an emergency clearance for its COVID-19 vaccine from US regulators in November. US officials said they expect their vaccine to gain regulatory approval this month. The US government expects its first vaccine allocation to include 6.4 million doses, with more in the future.
Regulators in the UK have already licensed Pfizer’s vaccine for use in that country.
Pfizer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Journal’s story.
(Reporting by Carl O’Donnell, edited by Peter Henderson and David Gregorio)
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