UPS to begin delivering Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

UPS will begin transporting a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Cambridge, Mass.-based Moderna immediately as part of an agreement with pharmaceutical and medical supplier McKesson, which was appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to distribute COVID vaccines that do not require transportation at ultra-low temperatures. [caption id="attachment_93764" align="alignright" width="500"] Moderna has its own manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts. (Photo: Moderna)[/caption] The announcement came moments after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for Moderna’s vaccine. Vaccines will initially be transported to McKesson distribution facilities located across the United States. “McKesson teams will then move the vaccines into either the freezer or the refrigerator for storage prior to distribution,” according to a release from McKesson. Moderna’s supply chain relies heavily on contract manufacturers, and the active ingredient for the vaccine is made by Switzerland-based Lonza at facilities in Switzerland and in New Hampshire. Fill-and-finish services for the vaccine will be provided by Catalent at its facility in Bloomington, Ind., according to a June release from Catalent. The Bloomington facility is accessible to major air hubs and sorting facilities operated by UPS, as well as those operated by other integrators including FedEx. The UPS Worldport in Louisville (SDF) is just under 100 miles south of the Catalent biologics facility. Indianapolis (IND), where FedEx has a major presence, is 50 miles north, while DHL’s Americas hub in Cincinnati (CVG) is about 120 miles east. As of 5:30 p.m. PST on Dec. 18, there were six UPS and ten FedEx flights scheduled to arrive between tonight and tomorrow morning at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), the closest major airport to Moderna’s own manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts. It is unclear to what extent airfreight will play a role in transporting the second COVID-19 vaccine with EUA approval from the FDA in the United States. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine approved last week , which must be transported and stored at around -70 C , the Moderna vaccine requires a temperature range of around -20 C. UPS declined to comment due to “security reasons.” “Once an order comes in from the CDC, material handlers will begin to pick and pack vaccine doses in insulated coolers specially designed to maintain the appropriate temperature,” said McKesson. After packing, carriers like UPS will handle the final mile. The U.S. government has 200 million doses of the vaccine on order, and purchase rights for up to 300 million additional doses. Moderna plans to produce between 100-125 million doses by Q1 2021, with the majority, 85-100 million, bound for the United States. Moderna expects to deliver 20 million doses before the end of the year, according to a press release from the pharmaceutical company.

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