Moderna prepares to sell COVID-19 vaccine privately as US delays booster call – Yahoo Finance

Moderna (MRNA) is adjusting to the new pace of demand for COVID-19 vaccines in 2022, with a strong outlook on sales globally, though it still faces some hurdles in the U.S. market.

That’s according to CEO Stéphane Bancel, who said the company has already deals for $21 billion worth of doses for the year — mostly from global buyers.

Meanwhile, the Congressional budget still does not have funding for booster doses for fall, even as health experts warn of a potential surge. But Moderna remains confident the U.S. government will come through.

“None of us has managed the transition from a pandemic to an endemic setting, for obvious reasons,” Bancel told Yahoo Finance.

And waning protection — whether from vaccination or natural infection — will leave many people unprotected or under-protected by fall, Bancel and other executives said on an earnings call Wednesday.

Which is why U.S. government purchases, as well as the FDA deciding on which vaccine formula and combination of strains to include, is crucial.

“The vaccines are not going to help, efficacy-wise, for people who got boosted last November or December or January,” Bancel said, adding he is hoping for authorization for a newly-formulated vaccine by August.

“It’s really a problem of funding, not of desire,” Bancel said, reflecting on conversations with U.S. officials.

Even with the uncertain outlook, Moderna is expecting the best and preparing for the worst.

“I think it will come through. We just need to be ready for the alternative which is we have to go to a typical, what every pharmaceutical product does, private market,” Bancel said.

If the U.S. government falters, the company is preparing to sell commercially, which could also benefit the company’s sales, depending on how many individuals and insurers are willing to shell out.

“This might actually provide some upside not only on sales, because there’s zero sales assumed in the $21 billion, but (also) on pricing. CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] has basically come up saying for fiscal year 2023, which starts in October, the price for COVID-19 vaccines should be around $60,” Bancel said.

By comparison, the U.S. government previously purchased the doses for $16.50 in the past two years, he added.

Follow Anjalee on Twitter @AnjKhem

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