Moderna says it’s preparing global launch of Covid vaccine as it takes in $1.1 billion in deposits

Moderna says it’s preparing global launch of Covid vaccine as it takes in $1.1 billion in deposits

A sign marks the headquarters of Moderna Therapeutics, which is developing a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Brian Snyder | Reuters

Moderna is prepping for the global launch of its potential coronavirus vaccine, already taking in $1.1 billion in deposits from governments awaiting the potentially lifesaving drug, the biotech firm said Thursday in its third-quarter earnings report.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said it was in ongoing talks with the World Health Organization-backed COVAX initiative on a tiered pricing proposal for its potential vaccine, which it's tentatively calling mRNA-1273. It already has supply agreements in North America, the Middle East and in other regions of the world.

"We are actively preparing for the launch of mRNA-1273 and we have signed a number of supply agreements with governments around the world," Moderna