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SINGAPORE: Moderna said on Tuesday (December 15) that it signed an agreement with Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) to supply mRNA-1273, its COVID-19 vaccine, to the country.
The agreement “will support ongoing efforts to ensure access to a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for the people of Singapore,” the biotech company said.
The dose volume and financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
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“We recognize that addressing this global pandemic will require a range of vaccines and therapeutic options, and we are proud of the role Moderna has been able to play in this global effort,” said Executive Director Stephane Bancel.
Data from a phase 3 study involving 30,000 participants in the U.S. showed a 94.1 percent efficacy against COVID-19 and a 100 percent success rate in preventing severe cases, said the company.
Moderna has said that there were no serious safety problems with mRNA-1273. The most common side effects were fatigue, injection site redness and pain, headache and body aches, which increased after the second dose and were short-lived, he said.
The company plans to be able to deliver 500 million to 1 billion doses of the vaccine a year starting in 2021.
The vaccine is stable for up to 12 hours at room temperature and for up to 30 days between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, the temperature of a standard refrigerator. At -20 degrees Celsius, the vaccine is stable for up to six months.
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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday that Singapore approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, with the first shipment arriving in the country later this year.
Other vaccines are also expected to arrive in Singapore in the coming months, and there will be “enough vaccines for everyone” by the third quarter of next year if all goes according to plan, he said in a televised speech.
The government made “multiple bets” to sign advance purchase agreements and make down payments for the most promising vaccine candidates, Lee said. This included deals with Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac, with more than S $ 1 billion reserved for these deals.
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