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(Reuters) -COVID vaccine makers should price their updated shots for the fall at a reasonable rate that would reflect the benefits they received through government investments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday.
The federal body’s appeal to COVID vaccine makers comes at a time when the United States is moving to a commercial marketplace for COVID products from government purchases in the early years of the pandemic.
In a letter to vaccine manufacturers Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax, HHS said it expects them to prepare for an ample supply for the 2023-24 fall vaccination campaign, and remain prepared to support any potential surges in demand and evolving COVID-19 situations.
The U.S. government will launch a $1 billion program to ensure that people without insurance continue getting vaccines and treatments at no cost by providing direct support to health centers and reimbursing pharmacy chains.
While Moderna and Pfizer have not settled on a price, the companies are planning to target a range of commercial price of $110 to $130 a dose for their vaccines.
Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax did not immediately respond to Reuters requests to comment.
The manufacturers are developing updated versions of their respective vaccines to target the currently circulating XBB.1.5 subvariant for this fall, based on the advice of U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month.
HHS said they should also plan regulatory submissions to the FDA, so that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can make recommendations for the shots by late September.
Moderna completed its submission to the FDA for an updated shot in late June.
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
