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Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) and Peter Welch (Vet.) ask Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) CEO Stephane Bancel will reconsider raising the price of the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available on the commercial market.
Modern (MRNA), like competitor Pfizer (PFE), said he plans to raise the price of his COVID vaccine to between $110 and $130 per dose, far more than what the federal government pays for them.
“Moderna’s ( MRNA ) price increases, in addition to threatening public health, also raise questions about how Pfizer’s ( PFE ) similar announcement of vaccine price increases in October 2022 may have affected Moderna’s ( MRNA ) vaccine pricing decision-making process,” they wrote are senators.
The senators also noted that Moderna’s (MRNA) vaccine was developed through government-funded research.
The duo also ask Bancel a few questions, mostly regarding the revenue and profits expected from the vaccine this year.
Vaccines against COVID will become available through the commercial market — instead of free due to federal government purchases — after a public health emergency is declared over the virus.
Earlier in January, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also sent a letter to Bancel.