Moderna weighs private market debut for COVID shot as federal funding flounders

As Congress gridlocks on funding for new COVID-19 therapies and vaccines, mRNA bigwig Moderna is setting its sights on the endemic market for its wildly successful shot, Spikevax, the biotech’s CEO has said. “[W]hat is not clear today is, will the U.S. become a private market, which is the case for all other medicines we have access to,” Stéphane Bancel speculated in an interview with Yahoo Finance during Moderna’s 3rd annual Vaccines Day on Thursday. The U.S. government says funding for COVID vaccines and therapeutics is waning, which could spell trouble for Moderna’s megablockbuster shot sales. In fact, Moderna's $21 billion in advanced purchase agreements for this year includes no contribution from the U.S., Bancel pointed out. Still, the feds could step in yet to purchase shots for the public, the CEO suggested.