The cost of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine could soon jump from $16 to $100 a shot

When Moderna rolled out its COVID-19 vaccine, it charged the government $15-$16.50 a shot. Now that the pandemic has shifted into an endemic, meaning COVID is like the flu and here to stay, Moderna wants to hike the cost to $100, according to Fierce Pharma.

And after this year, the U.S. government won’t be covering the cost.

The company released its pricing expectations in a slide show that estimated COVID-19 vaccines are worth more than $100 billion worldwide. Taking the high-risk population in the U.S., which is about 82 million people, that means Moderna’s sales in the states alone would be $8.2 billion.

These costs aren’t unheard of, however. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects an average cost of $64 per COVID-19 vaccine and an additional $40 administration cost per shot. Other vaccines, like the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, cost $135. a flu shot typically costs about $50.

Fortunately, insurance will likely cover most of the cost of these vaccines, even if the costs rise.  CMS also estimates that the COVID-19 virus itself will slowly become less severe, and people’s immunity will last longer as time goes on.

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