Moderna will supply 34 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year and Sweden had has donated on million AstraZeneca shots to the global COVAX program, which has struggles to secure enough supplies to inoculate the world's poorest people.
The advance purchase agreement between Moderna and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, came just after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced emergency approval of the vaccine.
The rollout of Moderna vaccines for the United Nations-backed COVAX scheme, which aims to deliver vaccines to lower-income countries at the same time that rich countries have access, is set to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, and the vast majority of the doses in the deal, 466 million, are planned for next year.
Stephane Bancel, the Moderna CEO, expressed support for the COVAX mission and called the deal "an important milestone" to ensure access to its vaccine worldwide.
"We recognise that many countries have limited resources to access COVID-19 vaccines," Bancel said in a statement.
"We remain committed to doing everything that we can to ending this ongoing pandemic with our mRNA COVID-19 vaccine"
"Expanding and having a diverse portfolio has always been a core goal for COVAX, and to remain adaptable in the face of this continually evolving pandemic, including the rising threat posed by new variants. This agreement is a further step in that direction," he said.