Modern (MRNA) – Get the report Modern, Inc. shares fell lower Monday while Pfizer (PFE) – Get the report from Pfizer Inc. it was reduced to red as investors reacted to the main risk associated with coronavirus vaccines from drug manufacturers in Asia and the Pacific region.
Japan suspended another batch of Modern vaccines on Sunday after the discovery of contaminants on roads near the capital Tokyo. Authorities have extracted more than 2.6 million doses of Modern vaccine in total, but have indicated that up to 500,000 people could have received shots from potentially contaminated supplies.
The news comes as Japan continues to struggle with the latest wave of coronaviruses, with monthly infections exceeding 25,000 for the first time, as the Delta variant continues to accelerate in the Asia region.
Moderna said earlier this week that the contamination could come from the manufacturing sites of its Spanish partner, Rovi, which bottles the vaccine for non-US markets.
Meanwhile, reports from New Zealand suggest that one person has died as a result of a COVID “Comiranty” vaccine-related myocarditis recently approved by Pfizer.
Shares of Moderna were down 2.15% in pre-market trading on Monday to indicate a bell opening price of $ 374.00 each, a move that would leave the shares with the best year-on-year gain of the S&P 500 in the around 245%.
Shares of Pfizer, meanwhile, were down 0.75% to indicate an opening price of $ 46.28 each.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally approved the drug manufacturer’s coronavirus vaccine in a move that marked the agency’s first full authorization since it granted the use permit. emergency at the end of last year.
The FDA said the vaccine, which Pfizer produces in conjunction with its German partner BioNTech BNTX, can now be marketed to “Comiranty” and will be eligible for use by all U.S. citizens over the age of 16.
Last month, Pfizer said sales of its vaccine, first labeled as BNT162b2 when it was granted emergency use authorization late last year, could reach 33.5 billion. dollars this year as it increased earnings projected for 2021 to between $ 3.95 and $ 4.05 per share.