Moderna's CEO To Appear Before Senate On Quadrupling COVID-19 Vaccine Prices

Moderna Inc's MRNA CEO, Stéphane Bancel, will testify next month on its plans to raise the price of its COVID-19 vaccine in front of the Senate.
In January, Senator Bernie Sanders had written to Bancel to refrain from shooting up the prices of the COVID-19 vaccine after Moderna said it was considering pricing its vaccine at $110 to $130 per dose in the U.S. amid a shift to commercial distribution, writes Reuters.
Moderna has said that insured people could avail of the vaccine at no cost at their doctor's office or local pharmacies once ongoing Covid-19 emergency declarations end on May 11.
Moderna added that uninsured patients could buy the vaccine through Moderna's patient assistance program at no cost.
Sanders, chairman of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has railed against high drug prices and backed Medicare-for-all.
His chairmanship of the HELP committee could put drug companies in his crosshairs.
In the meantime, The European Medicines Agency (EMA) expects COVID vaccination campaigns to be conducted annually, Reuters reported
Though the COVID-causing virus is not yet behaving like a seasonal virus involved in winter waves in temperate climates, the EMA's head of health threats and vaccines strategy, Marco Cavaleri, told a news briefing that "this might be the direction it will be going."
Price Action: MRNA shares closed at $177.03 on Wednesday.