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by ddeck 2034 days ago
>At $3 to $4, many countries will jump on board ASAP and stay away from the expensive vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

The price difference will likely remain substantial, but in case anyone is unaware, the difference is currently greater due to AstraZeneca pledging to the sell the vaccine at cost "during the pandemic", while Pfizer and Moderna have indicated that they fully intend to profit. [1]

Once AstraZeneca deem the pandemic to be over, the price will likely rise.

It was reported a few months ago that internal AstraZeneca documents showed them projecting the "Pandemic Period" to end on 1 July 2021. [2]

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/health/covid-19-vaccine-c...

[2] https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/520202-astrazenecas-no...
1 comments
howlgarnish 2033 days ago
No, the main driver for the price difference is that this is a "traditional" vaccine produced using existing technology, while Pfizer/Moderna are newfangled mRNA ones.

Also, all 3 have made various noises about not making a profit etc, it's quite hard to sort out the marketing from what will actually happen at this point. Oxford/Astra have committed to supplying at least 100M doses to low-income countries for under $3 though.

link