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* Moderna shot becomes third to get UK regulatory approval
* UK increases order of Moderna shots to 17 million doses
* Moderna vaccine to be available in UK from the spring
(Adds Moderna statement, detail)
By Alistair Smout
LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Britain's medical regulator on
Friday approved Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for use, the
health ministry said, adding that it had agreed to purchase an
additional 10 million doses as it eyed a spring rollout of the
shot.
Three COVID-19 vaccines have now been approved for use in
Britain, with Pfizer/BioNTech's shot and one
developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca already
being administered.
The Moderna shot is not expected to play a part in the first
stage of Britain's vaccine rollout, which needs to see 2 million
vaccinations a week being given for the next six weeks in order
to hit a target of inoculating high priority groups by
mid-February.
Instead, supplies will begin to be delivered to the UK from
the spring once Moderna expands its production capability.
"We have already vaccinated nearly 1.5 million people across
the UK and Moderna's vaccine will allow us to accelerate our
vaccination programme even further once doses become available
from the spring," health minister Matt Hancock said.
Britain now has 17 million doses of Moderna's vaccine on
order, after waiting for trial data before making a commitment,
putting it behind the United States and the European Union in
the queue for the shot.
Moderna's vaccine was 94% effective in preventing disease in
late-stage clinical trials, and it has already been given
regulatory approval for use in the United States, Canada, the
European Union and Israel.
The United States began rolling out the Moderna vaccine in
late December, while the company has said the process will get
underway in the EU next week.
"We appreciate the confidence shown by the UK MHRA in
COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna with this decision," said Stephane
Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, referring to the
medicines regulator.
Britain initially prioritised securing doses from Pfizer and
AstraZeneca and was the first country to approve those vaccines,
but has spread its bets and secured doses of 7 different vaccine
candidates in all.
Britain is attempting to vaccinate the elderly, the
vulnerable and frontline workers - around 15 million people - by
mid-February, to ease a new strict lockdown imposed after a
spike in cases to daily records.
Although Moderna's vaccine will not help meet that initial
target, it will help ease supply constraints that Hancock has
cited as being a limiting factor in the rollout.
"This is excellent news and a further crumb of comfort amid
the huge levels of COVID-19 currently circulating around the
UK," said Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health
at the University of Southampton.
"When these Moderna vaccines arrive, they will help to ease
any bottlenecks or delays in the administration programme."
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; additional reporting by Kate
Kelland; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Louise Heavens, Kirsten
Donovan)
