Supply issues to delay Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shipments-S.Korean official

Moderna has pushed back its late-July vaccine shipment schedule for South Korea to August due to supply problems that will affect other countries waiting on Moderna shots, a South Korean health official said on Tuesday. The issue is due to vaccine manufacturing process involving Swiss contract drugmaker Lonza and a Spain-based company which does bottling work for the Moderna vaccine, the official, Lee Sang-won, told a briefing.

Moderna has pushed back its late-July vaccine shipment schedule for South Korea to August due to supply problems that will affect other countries waiting on Moderna shots, a South Korean health official said on Tuesday.

The issue is due to vaccine manufacturing process involving Swiss contract drugmaker Lonza and a Spain-based company which does bottling work for the Moderna vaccine, the official, Lee Sang-won, told a briefing. Health officials said Moderna has informed South Korea that the issue will affect other countries that receive supplies from them.

Moderna and Lonza did not immediately reply to Reuters' requests for comments. South Korea has a contract for 40 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, of which about 1.1 million have arrived so far.