Scientists from the Moderna company, together with those from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), continue to focus all their efforts on creating a safe and effective vaccine against coronavirus. Cure that does not intend to sell at any price.

A few days ago, the Financial Times He collected that the price of the drug would range between 25 and 30 dollars (between 21 and 25 euros) per dose. However, Moderna has announced this Wednesday that its vaccine it will cost between 32 and 37 dollars (between 27 and 31 euros) per dose, a “Pandemic price” than It will depend on the quantity requested by each country and hopes to guarantee its universal access. “We are working with governments around the world and with others to ensure that the vaccine is accessible regardless of the ability to pay,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a call with investors.

Thus, the price will be lower for countries that request large volumes of doses, the company pointed out, which has clarified that a “small” order would be the demand for several million doses.

Consumer advocates warned Wednesday that pharmaceutical giant Moderna is "taking taxpayers for a ride" after the company announced plans to charge between $32 and $37 per dose for a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed entirely with funds from the U.S. federal government.

"Taxpayers are paying for 100% of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine development. All of it," Peter Maybarduk, director of the Access to Medicines Program at Public Citizen, said in a statement. "Yet taxpayers may wind up paying tens of billions more to Moderna to buy our vaccine back, if it proves safe and effective."

The price set by the US pharmaceutical company is above the $ 19.50 (16.5 euros) that he advanced Pfizer for the vaccine that develops together with the German BioNTech and which is, as in the case of Moderna, at the beginning of phase 3. It is also immensely higher than the cost it has set AstraZeneca, which collaborates with the Oxford University, for Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands: between 3 and 4 dollars (2.5 and 3.4 euros) per dose.

Modern multiplies its income
The announcement of the price of the vaccine occurred in the presentation of the results of Moderna in the second quarter of 2020where the company multiplied his income by five, until the $ 66.4 million. A figure that cut the net loss by 13% to $ 116.7 million or $ 0.31 per share.

At the end of July, Moderna had already received $ 400 million to supply the vaccine mRNA-1273, the distribution of which is already negotiating with several interested countries. Furthermore, the government from United States invested $ 483 million in April and subsequently, another 472 million for the development of your vaccine.