Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Moderna CEO Grilled On Quadrupling Of Covid Vaccine Price Despite US Investment
Stat: Bancel, Sanders Spar Over What Moderna Owes The Government
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel and Senate health committee Chair Bernie Sanders shook hands amicably before Wednesday’s hearing examining the company’s vaccine pricing strategy began. That’s about where the goodwill ended between the two. Sanders, a Vermont Independent, promptly highlighted the $12 billion the federal government spent on research, development, and procurement of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. (Cohrs, 3/22)
AP: Senators Press Moderna CEO On COVID-19 Vaccine Price Hike
The CEO said Moderna gave the government a discount with its initial prices. Now, the company must assume more costs and risk, he said. He said, for instance, that the drugmaker will switch to single-dose vials from ones that held 10 doses. He also that Moderna will have to make more doses than it anticipates using to ensure enough is available. The company will then have to eat the cost of unused doses, something the government has done. (Murphy, 3/22)
Politico: The Covid Vaccine King On Biden World's Nerves
But when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lit into Moderna’s CEO at a congressional hearing Wednesday, few in Biden’s administration rushed to the company’s defense. The White House’s relationship with Moderna has deteriorated dramatically over the last two years, marring what should have been one of the most successful public-private partnerships in U.S. history, four people with knowledge of the matter told West Wing Playbook. (Cancryn, 3/22)
In other covid vaccine news —
News-Medical.net: Tetravalent COVID Vaccine Provides Broad Antibody Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants In Animal Model
The study findings showed that the tetravalent vaccine approach conferred broad immune protection against several SARS-CoV-2 variants. The findings could inform vaccine development to reduce the global health burden of COVID-19. (Paharia, 3/21)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Even Before COVID-19 Vaccine Revenue Surge, Penn Ranked #1 For Licensing Dollars
The University of Pennsylvania recently touted its number-one ranking among U.S. research institutions for licensing revenue — more than twice the next highest reported. Penn’s licensing revenue totaled $310 million in the year that ended June 30, 2021, a “huge number,” Stephen J. Susalka, CEO of AUTM, a trade group that collects licensing data, told The Inquirer last year. The entire University of California system came in second, with $135 million in revenue. But wait until next year. That’s when Penn’s haul of more than $1 billion in licensing revenue for fiscal 2022 — most from its development of technology used in COVID-19 vaccines — will be included in the annual ranking by AUTM, which represents university technology transfer managers who help scientists commercialize their inventions. (Brubaker, 3/23)
