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Summary
- Moderna to launch pediatric trials for children vaccine in the US and Canada.
- Moderna may net US1.5 billion from 100 mn doses needed to cover the young population.
- The income scope is huge as none of the firms could tap the entire global market.
American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna Inc. may get a first-mover advantage if they can pull off with their new Covid-19 vaccine for children before anyone else.
According to people with knowledge of the matter, the Massachusetts-based company is reportedly making rapid strides in vaccine research and probably it may be able to launch it by autumn.
It is the second company to receive approval for a Covid drug from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the emergency use authorization after Pfizer-BioNTech in the US.
Moderna, however, became the first to start trials this week for its new vaccine for children aged 6 months to 11 years. At this pace, they may be able to launch the vaccine well ahead of others. All other current suppliers of covid shots are planning to launch their version children vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson will roll out its first vaccine in April. While the minimum age threshold for the Pfizer vaccine has been set at 16 years, Moderna and J&J were approved for 18 years and above. It was because Pfizer presented satisfactory trial data at the time of approval, industry sources say.
Pic Credit: Pixabay
Moderna’s Children Vaccine Trial
Currently, both Pfizer and Moderna are studying COVID-19 vaccines in children, but J&J has not started that yet. But Moderna’s progress on this front has been quicker than Pfizer's. It plans to launch 2 and 3 pediatric trials, involving 6,750 participants, in the next few weeks.
The study has two parts: the first involves participants between ages 2 and 11, and the second one is for those less than 2 years old. If the trials go well, Moderna may be able to launch the mRNA-1273 covid vaccine ahead of others.
Pic Credit: Pixabay
Earning Potential
Given that around 48 million Americans are under the age of 12, who would need at least two doses, the company would end up delivering at least 100 million vaccines, or worth US1.5 billion, considering the previous price of US$15 per dose offered by the government.
Moreover, the scope of generating revenue is much larger, since none of the firms could so far tap the full potential of the market, which goes beyond the US border. Moderna has an edge in terms of its advanced timeline and can hit the global markets with a children’s vaccine before anyone does.
This could result in a windfall for the company, which has already established itself as a reliable partner in the covid fight. A swift FDA approval after the studies would allow the company to rapidly move into different markets.
