LONDON (May 3): Moderna Inc agreed to provide as many as 500 million doses of its Covid-19 shot to the programme known as Covax, in a boost for the global vaccination effort, but only a small fraction of the shipments are due to arrive this year.

The US drugmaker is joining developers including AstraZeneca Plc, Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson in supplying Covax, which has faced setbacks in its bid to help lower-income nations. The vaccine last week was cleared for emergency use by the World Health Organization, making it eligible for Covax.