ワクチン供給で米企業と交渉　新型コロナ、２０００万人分―厚労省

　厚生労働省は２８日、米バイオ医薬品企業モデルナが開発中の新型コロナウイルスのワクチンについて、２０２１年前半にも４０００万回分（２０００万人分）以上の供給を受ける方向で交渉を進めていることを明らかにした。国内での販売・流通は武田薬品工業が担当する見通しという。
　モデルナのワクチンは米国で開発が最も先行するものの一つ。政府は２１年前半までに全国民分の確保を目指しており、合意すれば実現に近づく可能性がある。（2020/08/28-21:46）

Japan's health ministry said Friday that it is negotiating with Moderna Inc. to get more than 40 million doses of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus from the U.S. biopharmaceutical firm as early as in the first half of 2021.
   The vaccine, enough to cover 20 million people, is expected to be distributed and sold by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. .
   Moderna is one of the U.S. drugmakers seeing the most progress in the development of novel coronavirus vaccines. If the ministry and Modern reach a deal, that would be a major step toward the Japanese government's goal of securing vaccines for all citizens by the first half of 2021.
   The ministry has already reached basic agreements with U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer Inc. for the supply of vaccines for 60 million people and with British drug giant AstraZeneca PLC for 120 million doses.
   It remains to be seen whether AstraZeneca's vaccine would require one or two doses per person, but the procured vaccines would cover 60 million people if two doses are required.