Moderna on Wednesday announced that its COVID-19 vaccine will remain free for all Americans — even after the federal government stops paying for it under the declared public health emergency (PHE) —  following blowback the company received for announcing last month its vaccine would cost as much as $130 per dose.

Background

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last month, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine would cost as much as $130 per dose once the PHE ends and the vaccine is available on the private market. Currently, Moderna's vaccine costs around $26 per dose and is distributed for free by the federal government.

The move mirrored what Pfizer said it's considering charging for its COVID-19 vaccine. However, Moderna's announcement prompted public outcry, including from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who noted the federal government spent almost $2 billion to subsidize the development of Moderna's vaccine.

"None of them were billionaires before the taxpayers of our country funded the research and development for the Covid-19 vaccine," Sanders said. "And collectively, these handful of people at Moderna are now worth over $11 billion."

In a letter to Bancel last month, Sanders said the proposed price hike was "unacceptable corporate greed."

"Our demand to Moderna, you received huge help from the federal government and the taxpayers of this country. You made billions of dollars in personal wealth. Do not quadruple the prices for this vaccine," Sanders said.

Sanders scheduled a Senate HELP Committee hearing next month on the decision to charge Americans for COVID-19 shots, and Bancel is among those expected to testify.

Moderna announces its COVID-19 vaccine will remain free to all Americans

On Wednesday, Moderna announced that it intends to keep its COVID-19 vaccine available to all Americans for free, even after the federal government stops paying for it.

"Everyone in the United States will have access to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine regardless of their ability to pay," the drugmaker said in a statement.

"Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be available at no cost for insured people whether they receive them at their doctors' offices or local pharmacies. For uninsured or underinsured people, Moderna's patient assistance program will provide COVID-19 vaccines at no cost" after the PHE expires, the company said.

Moderna has an assistance program in place that will cover COVID-19 shots for uninsured people, but STAT+ reports that it's not clear how Moderna will make sure those enrolled in commercial insurance programs will receive the shots for free.

A spokesperson for America's Health Insurance Plans suggested that Moderna will still get paid, noting that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises CDC, updated its list of COVID-19 vaccines and that health plans will ultimately pick up the full cost.

"However, announcements by Moderna, Pfizer, and other big pharma companies to hike COVID-19 vaccine prices — in some cases, by as much as 500% — is price-gouging plan and simple," the spokesperson said. (Weixel, The Hill, 2/15; Flaherty, ABC News, 2/15; Silverman/Owermohle, STAT+ [subscription required], 2/15)