Mind your business, vaccine makers warned

The WHO yesterday urged Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to keep their prices low and affordable, after reports that two producers will raise the cost they are charging the EU.Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are upping the prices for their messenger RNA vaccines because they have adapted them to the new virus variants, according to reports.The Pfizer vaccine will jump from €15.5 to €19.5 ($18.35 to $23) and Moderna from €19 to €21.5 ($22.5 to $25.45), British newspaper the Financial Times revealed Sunday, citing the contract concluded with the European Union.Mariangela Simao, the WHO assistant director general for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, told a press conference yesterday: “It’s very important that we have companies state policies of affordable prices.”She said both Pfizer and Moderna had increased their manufacturing capacities, diversified their plants and increased production line efficiency.“In a normal market situation, this would lead to a decreased price, not an increasing price.“We have a market where the demand is very high in comparison with production.“WHO urges companies to keep prices down and affordable prices.”