The UK has bought 17 million doses of the jab, which was developed at the firm’s base in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But a spokeswoman for the firm that production hiccups in Europe mean that there is now an expected shortfall in second-quarter deliveries to Britain. Moderna chief Patricia Gauthier said: “The trajectory of vaccine manufacturing ramp-up is not linear, and despite best efforts, there is a shortfall in previously estimated doses from the European supply chain.
“Vaccine manufacturing is a highly complex process, and a number of elements, including human and material resources, have factored into this volatility.”
The US firm has teamed up with Swiss-based Lonza Group to make its jabs in Europe.
It has its own plant in Massachusetts that is making a supply for the US.
Shipments of the life-saving coronavirus vaccine to the UK are expected to be reduced starting this month.
It comes just days after the Moderna roll out in Britain for the first time since being approved by regulators.
The hold-ups are expected to impact the number of doses that were expected to be delivered by the end of June.
Moderna is the smallest contract in the UK’s impressive vaccines portfolio.
The Government purchased enough doses to fully vaccinate 8.5 million people.
It will be rolled out alongside the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.
A Government spokeswoman said: “Our vaccination programme continues to make phenomenal progress – with over 41 million vaccines administered so far.”
She added: “We remain in constant contact with all vaccine manufacturers to understand and manage supply issues.”
The US firm has delivered similarly bad news to the Canadian government.
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EU and Swiss-bound deliveries are not expected to be hit by Moderna’s production issues.
The announcement comes amid a row between Brussels and London over the supply and export of coronavirus vaccines.
Brussels has agreed to buy up to 460 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Despite some shortfalls to its expected shipments in the first quarter, the EU refused to attack the US firm for failing to deliver enough doses.
Eurocrats instead attacked Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, which produces the Oxford vaccine, for not supplying enough doses.
