E.U. to buy an additional 80 million doses of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine

Shares of Moderna Inc. (NAS:MRNA) were down 0.1% in premarket trading on Friday after the company said the European Commission now plans to purchase an additional 80 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The commission had previously made a deal for 80 million doses. Moderna's still investigational vaccine requires two doses for each person, spaced one month apart. It has not yet been approved or authorized in any country; however, an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration is expected at any time. European Union health officials are expected to decide whether to grant a conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine on Jan. 6. Moderna's stock has soared 636.2% so far this year, while the S&P 500 (S&P:SPX) is up 15.2%.