COVID -19 Vaccine Costs. Phizer and Moderna Raise prices. August 1, 2021

https://www.ft.com/content/d415a01e-d065-44a9-bad4-f9235aa04c1a

Pfizer and Moderna raise EU Covid vaccine prices

Calls for booster shots and spread of more infectious variants underpin demand for products

Donato Paolo Mancini in Athens, Hannah Kuchler in London and Mehreen Khan in Brussels

 AUGUST 1 2021


Pfizer raised the price of its Covid-19 vaccine by more than a quarter and Moderna by more than a tenth in the latest EU supply contracts as Europe battled supply disruptions and concerns about side effects from rival products.

The groups are set to generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue this year as they sign new deals with countries anxious to secure supplies for potential booster shots in the face of the spread of the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant. The terms of the deals, struck this year for a total of up to 2.1bn shots until 2023, were renegotiated after phase 3 trial data showed their messenger ribonucleic acid vaccines had higher efficacy rates than cheaper shots developed by Oxford/AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

The new price for a Pfizer shot was €19.50 against €15.50 previously, according to portions of the contracts seen by the Financial Times.

The price of a Moderna jab was $25.50 a dose, the contracts show, up from what people familiar with the matter said was about €19 ($22.60) in the first procurement deal but lower than a previously agreed $28.50 because the order had grown, according to one official close to the negotiations.

The official said the companies had capitalised on their market power and deployed the “usual pharma rhetoric . . . Vaccines work so they increased the ‘value’.”

Pfizer last week raised its guidance for annual vaccine revenue by nearly a third to $33.5bn, after sales of the shot helped almost double sales in the second quarter. Chief executive Albert Bourla said prices for higher-income countries were “comparable”, with middle-income countries charged about half and lower-income countries paying cost. Pfizer, which shares profits with its German partner BioNTech, expects to raise prices after the pandemic is over. The revenue gap between messenger RNA vaccines, whose genetic instructions prompt cells to make viral proteins that prime the immune system, and more traditional rivals that contain either viral proteins or an inactivated virus, is set to widen further next year according to forecasts compiled for the FT by Airfinity.

The life sciences consultancy predicts sales of Pfizer’s shot will hit $56bn with Moderna’s reaching $30bn, as they dominate the high-income markets. Sales of the AstraZeneca jab, which is priced at cost and is the largest vaccine supplied to low-income countries, are forecast to rise to $15bn next year. The EU contracts were struck at a complex moment in the bloc’s vaccine rollout, as it faced supply problems from AstraZeneca and J&J as health authorities probed a suspected link between their shots and rare blood clots. Recommended Covid-19 vaccines Covid-19 vaccine tracker: the global race to vaccinate Brussels was also battling criticism from member states led by Austria that accused the European Commission of “unfair” vaccine distribution, arguing that the EU system had left some countries short on supply.

Officials said the commission and EU governments had agreed to pay a higher price to secure proved supplies from European manufacturing plants. The new Pfizer price is the same as that agreed earlier in the year on an advance of 10m doses, officials said. One official said staff working for Moderna were especially “preposterous and arrogant” in their dealings with the commission, highlighting a lack of previous experience in government affairs.

The revenue gap between messenger RNA vaccines and more traditional rivals is set to widen further next year © Jens Schlueter/Getty Moderna, whose Covid vaccine is its first commercially approved product, did not respond to a request for comment on the details of its EU pricing but pointed to previous disclosures that smaller-volume agreements would be executed at higher prices. It reiterated that it aimed to provide effective and affordable vaccines to “all populations”.

The FT reported last year that Moderna had initially asked buyers including the EU for a price of at least high double-digit dollars per course. The commission said Brussels has reserved the right for an additional 1.8bn doses of Pfizer’s vaccine “to be ready if booster shots are necessary and should we need additional vaccines in the context of variants”.

Pfizer declined to comment on pricing, citing confidentiality.

 

 

 

Covid-19 vaccines: the contracts, prices and profits. August 11, 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/11/covid-19-vaccines-the-contracts-prices-and-profits

Raised charges and Covax deals on order books of Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca

Wed 11 Aug 2021 12.58 EDT

Two US companies, Pfizer and Moderna, have raised the prices of their Covid-19 vaccines after data from clinical trials showed their mRNA formula was more effective than cheaper vaccines from Britain’s AstraZeneca and the American drugs maker Johnson & Johnson.

AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have pledged to provide their doses on a not-for-profit basis until the pandemic ends.

Pfizer/BioNTech

Sales worth $11.3bn (£8bn) were made by Pfizer in the first half of this year from the Covid-19 jab that it developed with Germany’s BioNTech. In July it lifted its 2021 sales forecast to $33.5bn.

BioNTech expects to make revenues of nearly €16bn (£13.5bn) from the vaccine this year, as its first-half net profit jumped to almost €4bn from €142m a year earlier. 

The two firms have agreed to supply up to 1.8bn doses to the EU from December up to 2023, on top of 600m doses previously ordered this year. The US government has ordered 700m up to April next year for Americans, as well as 500m for donations to the poorest nations.

Pfizer and BioNTech are aiming to produce 3bn jabs this year and 4bn next year. They are now charging the EU €19.50 per jab, up from €15.50 in the first procurement deal, the Financial Times reported. The UK is also reportedly paying more than previously, about £22 a shot for 35m doses for next year’s autumn booster campaign.

Pfizer’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, recently explained the tiered pricing. “This means wealthier nations would pay about the cost of a takeaway meal for each dose … middle-income countries would pay roughly half that price … and to low-income countries we were offering them doses at cost.”

Moderna

This company generated nearly $6bn of sales from its Covid-19 vaccine in the first half of the year, achieving a $4bn net profit – the first half-year profit since the firm was founded in Massachusetts in 2010.

Moderna has signed $20bn worth of vaccine contracts this year, including that for 17m doses to the UK, 460m to the EU and 500m to the US. It expects to produce up to 1bn jabs this year, followed by 2bn-3bn in 2022.

It has charged the US government (which helped fund the development of the vaccine) up to $16.50 a dose, and has sold it for $22 to $37 outside the US. Last week the company also said that sales under the Covax vaccine initiative to low-income countries were “considerably lower than the price to the US government”. The firm has reportedly lifted the price it charges the EU to $25.50 a dose from about $19 in its first deal.

AstraZeneca

Revenue of $1.2bn was achieved by AstraZeneca from the vaccine it developed with the University of Oxford in the first half of the year. So far it has shipped 1bn doses globally and is aiming to produce a total of 2bn-3bn jabs this year. The UK government is in negotiations with AstraZeneca to order a new version of its vaccine adapted to tackle variants of the coronavirus. Results from clinical trials are expected later this year.

The AstraZeneca jab is the cheapest of the main Covid-19 vaccines, priced at just $2.15 a dose in the company’s contract with the EU, rising to just over $5 a shot elsewhere.

However, the EU has not ordered any more doses after the vaccine was linked with rare blood clots. AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, said last month that “at some point in the future” the company would raise its prices, adding: “We cannot be a non-profit forever, but we will never intend to make large profits.”

Novavax

Denmark has ordered 280,000 doses of Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine for $5.8m – roughly $20.90 per dose – as part of an EU deal with the US company. The European Commission said last week it would buy up to 200m doses of the vaccine, which is yet to be approved by the EU’s drugs regulator.

 

COVID-19. CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX August 2021

 

COVID-19 is not just a health and economic crisis. It is a corruption crisis. And one that we are currently failing to manage. The past year has tested governments like no other in memory, and those with higher levels of corruption have been less able to meet the challenge. But even those at the top of the CPI must urgently address their role in perpetuating corruption at home and abroad.

Delia Ferreira RubioChair of Transparency International

Corruption: Global Coalition Against Corruption. CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX

 

Transparency International Secretariat adopts new integrity system

Transparency International is pleased to announce the adoption of a new integrity system at its Berlin-based Secretariat, which had been under review since 2018. In close collaboration with…

30 August 2021

https://www.transparency.org/

CDRI Fellowship Programme: Grant: Up to US$15,000 or equivalent September 2, 2021

~~~~~~~~~~~ Greetings from the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)!   The CDRI Fellowship Programme aims to promote research and innovation on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI). It provides financial support and capacity-building opportunities for individuals designing solutions for real-world problems related to DRI. You may take a look at the projects of the current cohort here.   The themes for the 2022–23 cohort are: ·         Early Warning & Decision Support System (DSS) for Infrastructure ·         Health Infrastructure Resilience  ·         Resilience Standards for Infrastructure ·         Risk Finance for Infrastructure ·         Nature-based Solutions (NBS) for Infrastructure Resilience   The key features of the CDRI Fellowship Programme are: ·         Grant: Up to US$15,000 or equivalent ·         Eligibility Criteria: All nationals from CDRI Member countries ·         Research Duration: One year ·         Last date of application: 30 September 2021   To see the details of the application process, please click here. We would request you to share the opportunity within your network.   Should you have any further queries, do feel free to contact us at Fellowship@cdri.world   Best wishes, CDRI Fellowship team   On behalf of the Secretariat CDRI: Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure         or reply to this email

New Orleans Daily Briefing. August 31, 2021

 

Keeping You in the Know: Daily Briefing   **Stop by at one of these sites, where RTA will have air-conditioned buses available**   NOLAReady has also identified locations at area firehouses where residents can swap their oxygen tanks for full tanks from 8am -6pm. The locations are: New Orleans Fire Station 1, 2920 Magazine St New Orleans Fire Station 36, 5403 Read Blvd New Orleans Fire Station 6, 4500 Old Gentilly Rd New Orleans Fire Station 40, 2500 General de Gaulle Dr If you need oxygen and cannot get to any of these tank swap sites, call the Special Needs Registry at 504-658-2558.   For a list of open businesses in NOLA & surrounding area from our media partners, click here.    For alerts, text NOLAREADY to 77295 and follow @nolaready on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or download the smart911 app.   To report down powerlines and other hazards, call 911 or 504-671-3600  VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: FOOD DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANCE   Sign up to help World Central Kitchen distribute food in New Orleans: ida.wck.volunteerhub.com Federal and State Resources    DisasterAssistance.gov provides a one-stop shop website that list numerous disaster assistance resources.  Click here to access the site or call 1-800-323-8603.       For Hurricane Ida General assistance information click here.    Click here to visit the State of Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness site.    For tips on storm damage cleanup, click here.    While DSNAP has not yet been approved for Hurricane Ida, you can pre-register now to get a head start on your application if DSNAP is approved for your parish. Click here for more information.    For information on travel & roadways in Louisiana, visit: http://511la.org   For road closures in NOLA visit streetwise.nola.gov.   To find help 24/7 during disasters for a wide range of critical services and resources: Dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 898-211   For shelter info: Dial 211 or text LASHELTER to 898-211   For Hurricane Ida relief information from the American Red Cross, click here or call 1-800-733-2767. Additional Resources   New Orleans Breastfeeding Center & New Orleans Health Department are offering a free parent-infant hotline. The hotline is 504-535-4223 and will be operating 24/7.   Free Legal Service is available for people impacted by Hurricane Ida by Southeast Louisiana Legal Services. The Disaster Helpline is 1-844-244-7871.

American Red Cross. National Partner UPDATE - Hurricane Ida August 31, 2021

 

Published by American Red Cross National Headquarters Community Engagement and Partnerships, Disaster Cycle Services Tuesday, August 31, 2021

 

 

American Red Cross National Partner Update

 

 

Ednisha Collins,14, holds brother Ethan Jordan, 1, while her family gets settled at a Red Cross evacuation shelter in Baton Rouge on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

 

 

Hurricane Ida As the remnants of Hurricane Ida make their way north, the damage left behind in Louisiana and Mississippi is becoming clearer. More than 1 million people are without power where temperatures may hit 90 degrees today; homes and businesses are destroyed; cell phone, water and sewer services are down in many areas; roads are damaged or blocked; and many communities remain flooded. ·        Officials say it could be weeks until power is fully restored. Officials have asked evacuees not to return to their homes until it is safe to do so. In some areas water is chest high and snakes and alligators have been sighted. Many communities that are still recovering from the devastation of hurricanes Laura and Delta just a year ago are now facing flooded homes yet again along with another lengthy recovery effort. Experts point to climate change as being partially responsible for the rapid strengthening that Ida underwent before making landfall.   For the Red Cross, our work is just beginning. Right now, we are focused on providing safe shelter, meals and comfort for people in need. We will be working side-by-side with our partners to help people recover for weeks and months to come. Monday night, more than 1,500 people sought refuge in some 38 Red Cross and community shelters across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. ·        Anyone in the affected area that needs a safe place to stay should call 211, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or download the free Red Cross Emergency app for shelter locations. You can also text LASHELTER to 898-211 or NOLAREADY to 77295. Hundreds of trained Red Cross workers are on the ground now with many more traveling from all over the country to help. Mobile kitchens capable of preparing tens of thousands of meals are being set up with the help of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the coming days, dozens of Red Cross emergency response vehicles will begin bringing food and relief supplies to people across the region.

 

 

 

Western Wildfires

 

 

Red Cross volunteer Albert Becker prepares to unload supplies at the Red Cross shelter in Quincy, California. Albert, along with his wife Virginia, usually deploy together as Public Affairs representatives but are helping out on this deployment with the distribution of critical supplies to the communities most affected by the Dixie and River Fires. "I think this is what Albert always wanted to do with the Red Cross, drive the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV)," Virginia said with a laugh. "I think he likes this better than Public Affairs." But Albert disagreed, "I just like going out and helping people. There's a lot of emotion involved in Red Cross work. Sometimes the best way to help people is to just listen to their stories." Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

 

Wildfires this year have already outpaced what we experienced in 2020 — some 860,000 more acres of land have burned than at the same time last year. Large fire activity continues in 10 states. 83 fires have burned more than 2.5 million acres. On Monday, evacuation orders were in effect for residents near 11 large fires and complexes in California, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. The Dixie Fire in California and the Southern Bench Fire in Nevada both displayed extreme fire behavior, with winds causing significant acreage gains. More than 58,000 Californians are under evacuation orders as the state’s massive wildfires continue to spread. ·        The Caldor Fire is nearing Lake Tahoe, forcing an additional 11,000 people to evacuate on Monday from the most populated town on the California side of the lake. According to scientists, climate change has made the region warmer and drier over the past 30 years, leading to more destructive and longer-lasting wildfires.   The American Red Cross has been helping those affected by the western wildfires since June and will continue to support people across multiple states who have been forced from their homes. Monday night, the Red Cross and community partners had 28 open emergency shelters in California, Idaho, Minnesota and Nevada in response to wildfires - providing a safe place to stay, support and services to nearly 900 people. In addition to immediate relief like health services, emergency supplies and shelter, the Red Cross is beginning to provide financial assistance to families affected by the recent wildfires. ·        These funds can help families replace clothing and food or support any other immediate need. Over 1,200 Red Cross disaster responders have supported relief efforts in the wake of wildfires across the West.