Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Can Unproven Moderna Ramp Up Production To Meet Demand?
NPR: Moderna's Production Of Coronavirus Vaccine Leans Heavily On Outsourcing
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is expected to become the second to get the Food and Drug Administration's green light. A decision could come within days. But compared with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which was granted emergency use authorization last week, upstart Moderna doesn't have a track record when it comes to mass production. Pfizer makes hundreds of medicines and vaccines and operates at least 40 manufacturing facilities registered with the FDA around the world. Despite being founded a decade ago, Moderna has never had a product win FDA approval. And it only has one factory registered with the FDA — and the registration occurred just this week. (Lupkin, 12/17)
Politico: Upstart Moderna Takes On Outsized Role In U.S. Vaccine Effort
The nation’s second coronavirus vaccine, produced by Moderna, could be on its way to thousands of sites nationwide by this weekend — a major accomplishment for a company that has never before brought a product to market. ... While the maker of the first authorized shot, Pfizer, is a global pharmaceutical giant that has pumped out dozens of blockbusters including Viagra and even ChapStick, Moderna had never had a vaccine reach late-stage trials before it became the first of dozens of coronavirus vaccine hopefuls to hit that milestone this summer. The success of the country’s immunization campaign could depend on Moderna’s ability to deliver those shots without delay — a potentially tricky task for a firm without extensive manufacturing facilities of its own, with a vaccine based on cutting-edge technology. (Owermohle, 12/17)
ABC News: The 35-Year-Old Scientist Who Led Moderna's Efforts To Create A COVID-19 Vaccine
Less than a year ago, little was known about the mysterious virus that was sickening dozens in China and spreading rapidly unbeknownst to people across the globe. At the time, 35-year-old Hamilton Bennett, the senior director of vaccine access and partnerships at Moderna, a small, then-relatively unknown biotech company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, did not anticipate that her team's years of work would soon be thrust into the global spotlight when Moderna became the first American company to jump into the race to a coronavirus vaccine. (Mitropoulos, 12/14)
In related news —
The Wall Street Journal: Live Question & Answer Event - Ask WSJ: What To Know About The Covid-19 Vaccines
Hear from a WSJ reporter and editor covering Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on what to know about the Covid-19 vaccines, from how well they safely work to what their distribution would look like. Join them for a live Q&A as they answer your questions and discuss the latest recommendations from health experts advising the FDA. (Rockoff and Loftus, 12/18)
The Motley Fool: Here's How Much Each Coronavirus Vaccine Will Cost
Now that COVID-19 vaccines are finally rolling out, Americans can turn to the next most pressing question: How much will they cost? While President-Elect Joe Biden has proposed making coronavirus vaccines free for Americans, the actual cost to the federal government will vary pretty dramatically between vaccine candidates. Let's take a closer look at the cost variances of the four late-stage or EUA-approved players. (Williams, 12/16)
