Some of the biggest fireworks will likely come when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) grills Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel on his company’s reported plans to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Bancel will be the sole witness in the first part of the hearing. Sanders has called Moderna the “poster child” for corporate greed and high drug prices, and he’s accused Bancel and Moderna’s other co-founders of profiteering off of the taxpayer-funded research that went into making the vaccine.
The reported price range of Moderna’s shot would match what competitor Pfizer said it is considering charging, though both are far more than what the federal government pays. However, Pfizer did not receive federal support for the development of its vaccine.
Shortly after Sanders called for Bancel to testify, the company announced it would keep its vaccine free for consumers after the federal government stops paying for them.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will be defending President Biden’s budget in front of two Senate committees Wednesday — Appropriations and Finance panels — as lawmakers dissect the measures that the White House has proposed.
One of the most contentious lines included in the budget is a tax hike on people making more than $400,000 a year, which Biden has proposed in order to keep Medicare solvent.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs will also be holding a hearing on national drug shortages on Wednesday, with experts from the policy and nonprofit sphere invited to speak.
Several commonly used drugs including Adderall and albuterol have recently or are currently considered to be in shortage. Many retailers across the country resorted to limiting sales of common flu medicines over the winter as acetaminophen and ibuprofen became hard to find.
Reports cropped up of patients rationing their medications and congressional interest in this issue has persisted. While several experts will testify on Wednesday, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry were notably absent from the list.
