Moderna rises after RFK Jr. vaccine panel’s less-draconian-than-expected Covid recommendation
While ACIP’s vote means less people may be able to access Moderna’s vaccine than before, it’s less severe than the outright ban some were expecting.
Moderna rose more than 5% on Monday after a federal vaccine panel adopted a recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine that is significantly narrower than before but not as draconian as some investors were pricing in.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Friday voted to end the universal guidance that all people receive a Covid shot and now recommends people consult with a doctor before getting it. However, in a significant development, the committee did not vote to require patients to obtain a prescription in order to receive the vaccine.
Moderna, which was tapped by the first Trump administration to quickly develop an immunization for Covid in 2020, still makes nearly all of its revenue from the vaccine.
While ACIP’s vote means less people may receive Moderna’s vaccine than before, it is not an outright ban, which some were expecting. The panel was handpicked by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine critic.
The meeting was “marked by confusion over processes, technical difficulties and passionate disagreement among members and other experts in attendance,” according to NPR. The panel also postponed a key vote on whether to delay infants’ first hepatitis B vaccine.
Meanwhile, Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, is down on a report from the Washington Post that HHS plans to link the ubiquitous over-the-counter painkiller to autism.
