Public/Global Health

Pfizer, Moderna raising vaccine prices in Europe: report

Pfizer and Moderna have raised the prices of their COVID-19 vaccines in their most recent contract with the European Union (EU).

Reuters reported that Pfizer has raised the price of its vaccine from 15.50 euros to 19.50 euros, or around $23.15. Moderna has raised its prices to the equivalent of about $25.50 per dose.

Pfizer declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, telling the news wire, “Beyond the redacted contract(s) published by the EC, the content remains confidential and so we won’t be commenting.”

The Hill has reached out to Pfizer and Moderna.

In the U.S., doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine were initially sold for $19.50. However, a new deal reported in July showed that the U.S. would be paying $24 per Pfizer dose.

“The price for this order accounts for the additional investment necessary to produce, package and deliver new formulations of the vaccine, as well as the increased cost associated with delivering the vaccine in smaller pack sizes to facilitate delivery at individual provider offices, including pediatricians,” a spokesperson for Pfizer told The Wall Street Journal at the time.

In its first deal with Moderna, the U.S. government agreed to pay $15 per dose. The EU was reportedly charged $18 per dose for Moderna’s vaccine.

Last year, before the Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in the EU, a Belgian government minister accidentally disclosed the price that the EU would be paying per Pfizer dose, appearing to confirm that the EU would be paying less per dose than the U.S. at roughly the equivalent of $14.70, The New York Times reported.