Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has called on Moderna not to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Tuesday that the plan amounted to “unacceptable corporate greed.”
In a letter Tuesday to Moderna CEO Stephen Bancel, Sanders urged the company to reconsider its decision “in view of the role the federal government has played in the development of the vaccine” and refrain from raising prices. urged.
Sanders, the incoming chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said the company’s decision to charge up to $130 for shots after it was moved to the commercial market was “outrageous” and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. said it would take
“As you know, the federal government has supported Moderna every step of the way over the years, all the way back to 2013, when your company reportedly had only three employees. “With the ongoing public health crisis and growing federal deficit, it’s not the time for Moderna to quadruple the price of this vaccine,” he wrote. “Now is not the time for unacceptable corporate greed.”
Moderna did not immediately return a request for comment.
Bansel said wall street journal On Monday, Moderna is considering charging between $110 and $130 per dose in the United States when the government contract expires and the vaccine moves into commercial distribution.
The price range is in line with what rival Pfizer said it was considering charging, but both are well above what the federal government would pay. , the federal government distributes the shots for free.
“Your decision is particularly offensive given the fact that the vaccine was co-developed in collaboration with scientists from the National Institutes of Health, a US government agency funded by US taxpayers,” Sanders said. I think so,” he said, adding that the government has invested $1.7 billion. A company that researches and develops vaccines.
“Let’s be clear: The purpose of the recent taxpayer investment in Moderna was to protect the health and lives of the American people, not to turn a handful of executives and investors into billionaires. ‘ he said.
Once the public health emergency is over and the federal supply of vaccines is exhausted, vaccines will continue to be available free of charge to those with private insurance, although the cost may be reflected in premiums. There is a nature. Even with insurance, it can be expensive for patients to go to out-of-network providers.
During the pandemic, the federal government required all health care providers participating in vaccination campaigns to give their patients free shots, regardless of health insurance status.
As the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Sanders is expected to focus on prescription drug costs, among other priorities.
Most progressive policies don’t gain momentum in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, but Sanders will hold hearings that could give industry executives a headache.
