Bernie Sanders calls Moderna CEO to testify on proposed vaccine price hike
Washington PostFeb 16, 2023
Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, is scheduled to testify before the US Senate about plans to raise the price of its COVID vaccine, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) confirmed Wednesday.
The scheduled testimony comes after Sanders in January wrote a letter to Bancel requesting Moderna not go through with its plan to quadruple the price of the vaccine when it becomes available for commercial distribution.
Regardless of what Moderna has announced in terms of abandoning its price-hike plan, the Senate still must play an oversight role in corporate America. Bancel, a billionaire five times over, should have to answer for any profiteering he did off the pandemic, and any plans to hike the vaccine’s price in the future.
Moderna appreciates the assistance it received from the government in developing the vaccine, and it wants to do what’s fair. Bancel’s testimony will be a prime opportunity to convey Moderna’s plan to keep the jab readily available and affordable for all Americans.