Moderna Is Preparing Global Covid Vax Launch - Has $1 Billion In Deposits

First on the market will not be as important as how well it works, especially for the populations most susceptible to catching the virus. JL

Berkeley Lovelace reports in CNBC:

Moderna is prepping for the global launch of its potential coronavirus vaccine, already taking in $1.1 billion in deposits from governments awaiting the potentially lifesaving drug. 25,650 participants had received the second of the company’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna said about 37% of the participants were from diverse communities and 42% were at high risk of severe disease. The majority of participants are over 25. Moderna was charging between $32 and $37 per dose for some customers, under cheaper “pandemic pricing.” The company said larger volume agreements that will have a lower price.

Moderna is prepping for the global launch of its potential coronavirus vaccine, already taking in $1.1 billion in deposits from governments awaiting the potentially lifesaving drug, the biotech firm said Thursday in its third-quarter earnings report.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said it was in ongoing talks with the World Health Organization-backed COVAX initiative on a tiered pricing proposal for its potential vaccine, which it’s tentatively calling mRNA-1273. It already has supply agreements in North America, the Middle East and in other regions of the world.

“We are actively preparing for the launch of mRNA-1273 and we have signed a number of supply agreements with governments around the world,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a press release. “Moderna is committed to the highest data quality standards and rigorous scientific research as we continue to work with regulators to advance mRNA-1273.”

Shares of Moderna were up more than 3% in midmorning trading.

Moderna, a front-runner in the Covid-19 vaccine race, said last week it had completed enrollment for its 30,000-participant late-stage trial. As of last week, more than 25,650 participants had received the second of the company’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna said about 37% of the participants were from diverse communities and 42% were at high risk of severe disease.

Just over half, 53%, of the participants in the trial are male and 47% are female, according to a presentation from the company. The vast majority of participants are over the age of 25, with only 5% in the 18 to-24 age group.

On a call with investors Thursday, Bancel said the company expects the data and safety monitoring board, which will assess whether the trial is successful, will conduct its first interim analysis in November. The board will not conduct its analysis until after there are 53 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in Moderna’s phase three trial.

Moderna’s vaccine, which is being developed with the help of the National Institutes of Health, contains genetic material called messenger RNA, or mRNA, which scientists hope provokes the immune system to fight the virus.

In August, Moderna said it was charging between $32 and $37 per dose for its vaccine for some customers, under cheaper “pandemic pricing.” The company said it was in discussion for larger volume agreements that will have a lower price.

Moderna said Thursday its vaccine must be stored at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, which will preserve it for up to six months. By comparison, Pfizer’s vaccine requires a storage temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

Moderna’s vaccine can also be refrigerated at about 36 degrees for up to seven days. It needs to be administered within 12 hours after thawing.

Separately, the company reported a third-quarter loss of $233.6 million, or 59 cents a share, wider than the loss of 43 cents per share analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting. The company brought in $157.9 million in revenue, higher than the $77.5 million Wall Street was expecting.

Executives held a call with investors at 8 a.m. ET.