HHS said Dec. 11 that it plans to purchase an additional 100 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.
If the vaccine candidate is given emergency approval from the FDA, the doses will be shipped immediately and are to be completely delivered by June 2021.
"This new federal purchase can give Americans even greater confidence we will have enough supply to vaccinate all Americans who want it by the second quarter of 2021," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said.
The purchase brings the total of Moderna vaccines purchased by the U.S. government up to 200 million. The U.S. has now invested $4.1 billion in Moderna's vaccine between development, clinical trials and manufacturing costs, HHS said.
The FDA's vaccine advisory committee will meet Dec. 17 to discuss emergency approval of Moderna's vaccine.
Last week, it was reported that the U.S. rejected offers from Pfizer to purchase more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, which was granted emergency approval Dec. 12.