Moderna
U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna showed its vaccine was more than 94% effective in preventing Covid-19. It consists of two injections four weeks apart.
The news came one week after Pfizer and BioNTech found a similar level of efficacy in their vaccine. Both use messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology. It’s a new approach to vaccines that uses genetic material to provoke an immune response.
In August, Moderna said it was charging between $32 and $37 per dose for its vaccine for some customers. At the time, the company said it was in discussion for larger volume agreements that would have a lower price.
Nonetheless, the figures are significantly higher than the cost of other vaccines. The United Nations’ Covax facility will subsidize rollouts of coronavirus vaccines to low-income countries but, at the price previously quoted, it may prove too costly for some.
Moderna has said it expects to have roughly 20 million doses of the vaccine ready to ship to the U.S. by the end of the year and remains on track to manufacture between 500 million to 1 billion doses globally in 2021.
Pfizer-BioNTech
Unlike Moderna’s vaccine, Pfizer and BioNTech’s candidate requires a storage temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit and requires special storage equipment and transportation. This could make it very difficult for some countries to distribute.
The vaccine can be kept in a regular fridge for five days.
The companies are reportedly charging $20 per dose for its vaccine, significantly lower than Moderna.
AstraZeneca-Oxford
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is developing its potential Covid-19 vaccine in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Data from late-stage trials should be made available before the end of the year.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which requires two doses, is priced at approximately $3 to $4, according to the Financial Times, citing supply deals agreed through to Oct. 7.
The company has said the vaccine will be delivered at a price of no profit, regardless of where in the world it is being delivered, “as long as all these orders have been taken in the next few weeks and months.”
Medecins Sans Frontieres highlighted that while AstraZeneca had committed not to profit from the vaccine it is developing with Oxford “during the pandemic,” the firm had given itself the power to charge higher prices as soon as July next year.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said on Nov. 5 that the firm will “treat the development of the vaccine as a response to a global public health emergency and not a commercial opportunity.”
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is a one-dose shot using technology based on the development and production of adenovirus vectors, or gene carriers. Similar technologies were used to develop and manufacture the company’s Ebola vaccine.
J&J has reportedly said that if results of the single-shot trial are positive, it could simplify the distribution of millions of doses, potentially gaining an advantage over some of its leading rivals that require two doses.
J&J’s vaccine requires basic refrigeration for storage and is thought to cost around $10 a dose.
Reference: CNBC
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