Vaccine production usa8/16/2023 “Without public investment, there would be no mRNA vaccines,” said People’s Vaccine Alliance policy co-lead Mogha Kamal-Yanni in reaction to the study. Pfizer, meanwhile, spent $115 billion on shareholder payouts in the decade before the pandemic, $34 billion more than it invested in its R&D division. Between 20, Moderna has announced or executed $7 billion in share buybacks – $3 billion more than it has spent on research and development. Research or share buy-backs?Ī significant portion of the vaccine-derived profits, Roy points out, are not being reinvested into medical research and development. Their estimated production cost is just $1-3 per dose. once freed of their government contracts. ![]() “However, their development also serves as a cautionary tale of a system in which the risks of pursuing innovation were socialized while the lion’s share of rewards became privatized to corporate shareholders … who risked little of their capital in the development process.”īoth Moderna and Pfizer plan to sell their vaccines at over $110 per dose in the U.S. “In making health and protection possible amid a deadly pandemic, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been a remarkable achievement,” writes Victory Roy, a fellow at Yale Medical School who authored the BMJ editorial that accompanied the study. ![]() In their first year alone, COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have prevented 20 million deaths globally, including 1.1 million in the US. The speed of vaccine development in response to the COVID-19 threat is unprecedented in vaccine science. Risks were socialized while financial rewards were privatized A network analysis of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine patents. “ the largest public investment for a disease ever,” Lalani said. The resulting vaccines are recognized as among the most effective jabs against the SARS-CoV2 virus.Īfter the onset of the pandemic, $29.2bn (92%) of US public funds went to vaccine procurement, $2.2bn (7%) supported clinical trials, and $108m (<1%) supported manufacturing plus basic and translational science. financing contributed indirectly to the development of mRNA technology. “The pre-pandemic investments are conservative and likely much higher than $337 million,” said Dr Hussain Lalani, lead author of the study.Īltogether, the study identified 34 NIH research grants directly related to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.Īn additional $5.9 billion in U.S. Pre-pandemic, the NIH invested $116m (35%) in basic and translational science related to mRNA vaccine technology, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) ($148m 44%) and the Department of Defense ($72m 21%) invested in vaccine development. That research, conducted between 19, resulted in the discovery of indispensable precursor technologies to mRNA vaccines including lipid nanoparticles, mRNA modification and synthesis, pre-fusion spike proteins, and mRNA vaccine biotechnology. While the overwhelming majority of the $31.9 billion in funds was invested in the heat of the pandemic, at least $337 million was invested in mRNA related science before SARS-CoV2 emerged. ![]() ![]() Most funds invested in vaccine procurement Researchers identified 34 NIH research grants directly related to mRNA covid-19 vaccines. The study covered contracts issued by the National Institutes of Health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Department of Defense. The study is based upon an extensive analysis of US government research grants and procurement contracts related to mRNA vaccines or technologies issued between 1985 and March 2022. public funding was indispensable to the development of mRNA vaccines that have netted Moderna and Pfizer over $100 billion in sales revenues since their launch, an amount is 20 times greater than the budget of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2020-21. COVID-19 vaccine sales have netted Pfizer and Moderna around $100 billion in revenue.Ī new study published in the BMJ has found that the United States invested at least $31.9 billion in public funds directly into the development, production and purchasing of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines through channels ranging from the National Institutes of Health to the Department of Defense.
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