Analysis: The vaccine stuation as countries seek more Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 doses

Analysis: Countries seek more Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 shots as concerns mount over rival vaccines Wealthy governments are looking to COVID-19 shots from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) to keep their vaccination programs on track, as safety concerns and production problems sideline vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson, public health experts and industry analysts say. Carl O'donnell Reuters

Wealthy governments are looking to COVID-19 shots from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) to keep their vaccination programs on track, as safety concerns and production problems sideline vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson, public health experts and industry analysts say.

Countries in Europe and Asia, as well as South Africa, are limiting or halting use of AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) shot over safety concerns. Rollout of J&J's (JNJ.N) one-shot vaccine was paused in the United States and Europe this week over a handful of cases of very rare but dangerous blood clots in the brain, much like AstraZeneca's safety issue.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was studying whether the technology behind both vaccines was connected to the clotting cases. Both use a modified cold virus as a vector to deliver coronavirus proteins into cells and prompt an immune response.

Combined, the two vaccines are supposed to account for more than 25% of global supply in 2021, according to a Reuters tally of public statements and media reports.

The vaccines from Pfizer with German partner BioNTech SE and Moderna use a different method to protect against COVID-19 that relies on messenger RNA (mRNA) to program cells to generate immunity to the coronavirus.

Those two shots were already viewed as a preferred choice among wealthy countries, analysts said, based on clinical trial data showing they were more than 90% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19. About 120 million Americans have received a Pfizer or Moderna shot so far with no major safety issue identified.

Now, the United States and European Union are pushing to stock up on even more of the mRNA vaccines. Japan is also working to secure 100 million doses of Pfizer’s shot by the end of June. ...

The higher cost, production limits and demanding requirements for shipping and storage could limit mRNA-based vaccines' availability in lower income countries, experts said.

“The raw materials needed for mRNA manufacturing and production are not cheap right now,” said Hartaj Singh, a biotechnology analyst at Oppenheimer & Co.

"In the second half of this year, we'll see the conversation change to, ‘okay, how can we help the developing world get their hands on mRNA vaccines,’” Singh said of countries like the United States, which has pledged to do so. ...