Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine: How Much Does It Cost Per Dose?

By Neil P. First Posted: Nov 22, 2020 08:51 AM EST

The initial result of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in the clinical trial revealed it is nearly 95 percent effective in preventing the virus. But how much does it cost to get the vaccine?

(Photo : Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
A view of Moderna headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Moderna is the second biotechnology company in the world that recently announced how effective its COVID-19 vaccine in preventing the virus.

The initial result in its last stage human clinical trial said that it is nearly 95 percent effective.

With the promising result of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, it is not a surprise anymore that many countries around the world wanted to know how much the vaccine costs. This is important so that this will be included in their budget and distribution as well.

According to Fox News, Moderna's Chief Executive Stephane Bancel told German weekly Welt Am Sonntag or WamS that they will be charging governments between $25 and $37 per dose depending on the amount ordered.

Bancel said that their COVID-19 vaccine costs the same as their flu shot which is between $10 and $50. However, he did not give the details as to how much the first dose and second dose costs. It is important to note that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is given twice or within four weeks apart.

On Monday, an official from the European Union who is involved in the talks said that the European Commission wanted to come up with a deal with Moderna.

The European Union could order for millions of doses and wanted to buy the vaccine below $25 each dose.

"Nothing is signed yet, but we're close to a deal with the EU Commission. We want to deliver to Europe and are in constructive talks," Bancel said.

He also added that it will just be a matter of days before contract will be signed that entails how much each dose will cost.

EU to negotiate with Moderna for vaccine

European Union has been negotiating with Moderna over its COVID-19 vaccine since July. While the EU wanted to seal a price deal with Moderna, it is also expected that other groups will be negotiating with the company for a lower price.

Moderna is one of the companies that pledged not to prioritize the profit once its vaccine will be tested safe and effective.

If Moderna will set its price to less than $25, then this will also become the price standard of other vaccine developers.

The price should be an amount that countries which belonged in the third world can afford. These are countries that were economically struggling even before the pandemic began. If their government cannot afford to buy this vaccine, then the virus will continue to spread.

On the other hand, the first biotechnology company which revealed the result of its last stage human clinical trial, Pfizer, did not yet release as to how much their vaccine cost.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech did not also release any updates on its website.