Moderna生產(chǎn)的新冠疫苗,,在美國以外其他國家價格不菲,,已經(jīng)引起大量股東對這種救命物資分配不公的不滿。Moderna承諾對疫苗定價作進(jìn)一步解釋,,以平息股東眾怒,。
作為公司系列產(chǎn)品中唯一的藥物,Moderna基于信使核糖核酸的疫苗在很多地方都是最貴的新冠疫苗,,接種一劑費(fèi)用高達(dá)30美元,。Moderna獲得了24.8億美元的美國政府疫苗開發(fā)專項撥款,大大降低了風(fēng)險,;在美國把疫苗定價為一劑15美元左右,。
一年前,Moderna承諾,,公司將“為全人類提供定價合理的有效疫苗與療法”,;的確,這家制藥公司最近同意,,以每劑僅7美元的價格向非洲聯(lián)盟出售疫苗,。然而,10月早些時候廣為流傳的《紐約時報》新聞報道披露,,Moderna第一年生產(chǎn)的絕大部分疫苗,,都供應(yīng)給美國、德國等富裕國家,,僅向低收入國家運(yùn)送了100萬劑,;相比之下,其競爭對手輝瑞和強(qiáng)生為貧窮國家分別提供了840萬劑和2500萬劑。Moderna承諾2022年底前為窮國提供10億劑疫苗,,但眾多股東對此仍然感到不滿,。
正如《金融時報》周日報道的那樣,資產(chǎn)管理巨頭英國法通保險公司上個月致函Moderna,,指出“普及廉價疫苗,,對拯救生命、穩(wěn)定經(jīng)濟(jì)以及防止國內(nèi)疫情爆發(fā)至關(guān)重要,?!?/p>
根據(jù)法通保險提案,在Moderna即將召開的年度股東大會上,,股東正式要求管理層解釋:“作為政府疫苗開發(fā)和生產(chǎn)財政撥款的受益者,,Moderna在做出定價等影響疫苗使用機(jī)會的決定時,現(xiàn)在或今后是否會把撥款因素考慮在內(nèi),?如是,,又該如何考慮?”
接二連三的提案
10天前,,法通保險提案公之于眾,。同一天,Moderna致函美國證券交易委員會,,要求擔(dān)保,公司不會因為在2022年度股東大會之前提交的委托投票說明書中排除該提案而受到懲罰,。
信函顯示,,Moderna已經(jīng)提供了有關(guān)定價的大量信息,特別是在美國,;公司明年2月中旬前發(fā)布的另一項聲明,,能為法通保險提供所需的解釋。2022年度股東大會定于明年4月28日召開,。公司尚未回應(yīng)此提案的置評請求,。
法通保險提案的措辭,與本月早些時候跨信仰企業(yè)責(zé)任中心(ICCR)發(fā)布的一系列投資者要求如出一轍,。這些提案不僅針對Moderna,,還指向輝瑞和強(qiáng)生。輝瑞疫苗得益于德國政府去年撥給其合作伙伴BioNTech的4.45億美元,,而強(qiáng)生的新冠疫苗研發(fā)則獲得了美國政府將近15億美元的資金支持,。
由投資公司、宗教團(tuán)體和美國樂施會等非政府組織組成的ICCR針對Moderna和輝瑞的提案,,迫使這些公司宣布,,向中低收入國家制造商轉(zhuǎn)移知識產(chǎn)權(quán)和專業(yè)技術(shù)知識以刺激生產(chǎn),具有可行性。
“在公共衛(wèi)生和全球經(jīng)濟(jì)面臨前所未有危機(jī)的時刻,,我們必須想方設(shè)法盡快把疫苗帶給世界各地的每一個人,。繼續(xù)把短期利潤置于人命之上,不僅違背道德,,還會給所有公司,、投資者和我們的經(jīng)濟(jì)帶來嚴(yán)重風(fēng)險?!泵绹鴺肥紫瘓?zhí)行官艾比·馬可西曼在一份聲明中稱,。
法通保險的支持性聲明也談到了這個問題。法通資產(chǎn)經(jīng)理寫道:“截至2021年9月,,Moderna 88%的疫苗都運(yùn)往高收入及中高收入國家,。公司承認(rèn),其產(chǎn)能‘仍然有限’,。因此,,Moderna面臨著分享知識產(chǎn)權(quán)給其他制造商以提高疫苗供給量的壓力。截至2021年10月,,Moderna拒絕向中低收入國家的任何制造商轉(zhuǎn)移技術(shù),。”(12月底依舊如此,。)
法通保險也注意到,,Moderna沒有效仿強(qiáng)生和阿斯利康(也是美國空間機(jī)戰(zhàn)行動撥款的受益方),承諾疫情期間以非營利方式提供疫苗,,“其定價似乎沒有與收入掛鉤”,。美國和歐盟接種每一劑Moderna疫苗,要比在博茨瓦納,、泰國和哥倫比亞等中等收入國家來得便宜,。
疫苗分配不公
截至12月中旬,低收入國家僅4%的人群接種了新冠疫苗,,而富裕國家通過助推活動,,堅持推行疫苗計劃,這進(jìn)一步加劇了疫苗分配不公,,可能會導(dǎo)致繼奧密克戎毒株之后更多變異的出現(xiàn),。
“這確實是全球道德品質(zhì)上的污點,會影響到我們所有人,,因為我認(rèn)為大家開始意識到,,如果任由新冠在貧困國家傳播變異,那么將會成為無法擺脫的困擾,,即使對全程接種疫苗的人群也如此,,”英國前首相戈登·布朗上周表示,。
也是在上周,美國樂施會稱,,已經(jīng)向美國證券交易委員會提交了投訴信,,舉報Moderna沒有披露與疫苗開發(fā)合作伙伴美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院之間的長期專利糾紛。Moderna嘗試在否認(rèn)研究院科學(xué)家作為疫苗共同發(fā)明人的情況下,,獲得關(guān)鍵基因序列專利,。面臨糾紛報導(dǎo)以及隨后的強(qiáng)烈抗議,Moderna在12月中旬決定部分讓步,,推遲專利申請的最后一步(通過支付費(fèi)用使其獲得授權(quán)公布,,譯注)。
“Moderna沒有做到透明化,,也沒有利用救命技術(shù)助力疫情控制,;恰恰相反,該公司有意模糊與美國政府之間的專利糾紛,,漠視世界各地?zé)o數(shù)患者的病痛與死亡,,拒絕分享技術(shù)以幫助減輕新冠病毒對全球經(jīng)濟(jì)的束縛,”美國樂施會高級法律顧問戴安娜·卡尼在一項聲明中指出,。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:夏晴
Moderna生產(chǎn)的新冠疫苗,,在美國以外其他國家價格不菲,已經(jīng)引起大量股東對這種救命物資分配不公的不滿,。Moderna承諾對疫苗定價作進(jìn)一步解釋,,以平息股東眾怒。
作為公司系列產(chǎn)品中唯一的藥物,,Moderna基于信使核糖核酸的疫苗在很多地方都是最貴的新冠疫苗,,接種一劑費(fèi)用高達(dá)30美元。Moderna獲得了24.8億美元的美國政府疫苗開發(fā)專項撥款,,大大降低了風(fēng)險;在美國把疫苗定價為一劑15美元左右,。
一年前,,Moderna承諾,公司將“為全人類提供定價合理的有效疫苗與療法”,;的確,,這家制藥公司最近同意,以每劑僅7美元的價格向非洲聯(lián)盟出售疫苗,。然而,,10月早些時候廣為流傳的《紐約時報》新聞報道披露,Moderna第一年生產(chǎn)的絕大部分疫苗,,都供應(yīng)給美國,、德國等富裕國家,,僅向低收入國家運(yùn)送了100萬劑;相比之下,,其競爭對手輝瑞和強(qiáng)生為貧窮國家分別提供了840萬劑和2500萬劑,。Moderna承諾2022年底前為窮國提供10億劑疫苗,但眾多股東對此仍然感到不滿,。
正如《金融時報》周日報道的那樣,,資產(chǎn)管理巨頭英國法通保險公司上個月致函Moderna,指出“普及廉價疫苗,,對拯救生命,、穩(wěn)定經(jīng)濟(jì)以及防止國內(nèi)疫情爆發(fā)至關(guān)重要?!?/p>
根據(jù)法通保險提案,,在Moderna即將召開的年度股東大會上,股東正式要求管理層解釋:“作為政府疫苗開發(fā)和生產(chǎn)財政撥款的受益者,,Moderna在做出定價等影響疫苗使用機(jī)會的決定時,,現(xiàn)在或今后是否會把撥款因素考慮在內(nèi)?如是,,又該如何考慮,?”
接二連三的提案
10天前,法通保險提案公之于眾,。同一天,,Moderna致函美國證券交易委員會,要求擔(dān)保,,公司不會因為在2022年度股東大會之前提交的委托投票說明書中排除該提案而受到懲罰,。
信函顯示,Moderna已經(jīng)提供了有關(guān)定價的大量信息,,特別是在美國,;公司明年2月中旬前發(fā)布的另一項聲明,能為法通保險提供所需的解釋,。2022年度股東大會定于明年4月28日召開,。公司尚未回應(yīng)此提案的置評請求。
法通保險提案的措辭,,與本月早些時候跨信仰企業(yè)責(zé)任中心(ICCR)發(fā)布的一系列投資者要求如出一轍,。這些提案不僅針對Moderna,還指向輝瑞和強(qiáng)生,。輝瑞疫苗得益于德國政府去年撥給其合作伙伴BioNTech的4.45億美元,,而強(qiáng)生的新冠疫苗研發(fā)則獲得了美國政府將近15億美元的資金支持。
由投資公司,、宗教團(tuán)體和美國樂施會等非政府組織組成的ICCR針對Moderna和輝瑞的提案,,迫使這些公司宣布,,向中低收入國家制造商轉(zhuǎn)移知識產(chǎn)權(quán)和專業(yè)技術(shù)知識以刺激生產(chǎn),具有可行性,。
“在公共衛(wèi)生和全球經(jīng)濟(jì)面臨前所未有危機(jī)的時刻,,我們必須想方設(shè)法盡快把疫苗帶給世界各地的每一個人。繼續(xù)把短期利潤置于人命之上,,不僅違背道德,,還會給所有公司、投資者和我們的經(jīng)濟(jì)帶來嚴(yán)重風(fēng)險,?!泵绹鴺肥紫瘓?zhí)行官艾比·馬可西曼在一份聲明中稱。
法通保險的支持性聲明也談到了這個問題,。法通資產(chǎn)經(jīng)理寫道:“截至2021年9月,,Moderna 88%的疫苗都運(yùn)往高收入及中高收入國家。公司承認(rèn),,其產(chǎn)能‘仍然有限’,。因此,Moderna面臨著分享知識產(chǎn)權(quán)給其他制造商以提高疫苗供給量的壓力,。截至2021年10月,,Moderna拒絕向中低收入國家的任何制造商轉(zhuǎn)移技術(shù)?!保?2月底依舊如此,。)
法通保險也注意到,Moderna沒有效仿強(qiáng)生和阿斯利康(也是美國空間機(jī)戰(zhàn)行動撥款的受益方),,承諾疫情期間以非營利方式提供疫苗,,“其定價似乎沒有與收入掛鉤”。美國和歐盟接種每一劑Moderna疫苗,,要比在博茨瓦納,、泰國和哥倫比亞等中等收入國家來得便宜。
疫苗分配不公
截至12月中旬,,低收入國家僅4%的人群接種了新冠疫苗,,而富裕國家通過助推活動,堅持推行疫苗計劃,,這進(jìn)一步加劇了疫苗分配不公,可能會導(dǎo)致繼奧密克戎毒株之后更多變異的出現(xiàn),。
“這確實是全球道德品質(zhì)上的污點,,會影響到我們所有人,因為我認(rèn)為大家開始意識到,,如果任由新冠在貧困國家傳播變異,,那么將會成為無法擺脫的困擾,,即使對全程接種疫苗的人群也如此,”英國前首相戈登·布朗上周表示,。
也是在上周,,美國樂施會稱,已經(jīng)向美國證券交易委員會提交了投訴信,,舉報Moderna沒有披露與疫苗開發(fā)合作伙伴美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院之間的長期專利糾紛,。Moderna嘗試在否認(rèn)研究院科學(xué)家作為疫苗共同發(fā)明人的情況下,獲得關(guān)鍵基因序列專利,。面臨糾紛報導(dǎo)以及隨后的強(qiáng)烈抗議,,Moderna在12月中旬決定部分讓步,推遲專利申請的最后一步(通過支付費(fèi)用使其獲得授權(quán)公布,,譯注),。
“Moderna沒有做到透明化,也沒有利用救命技術(shù)助力疫情控制,;恰恰相反,,該公司有意模糊與美國政府之間的專利糾紛,漠視世界各地?zé)o數(shù)患者的病痛與死亡,,拒絕分享技術(shù)以幫助減輕新冠病毒對全球經(jīng)濟(jì)的束縛,,”美國樂施會高級法律顧問戴安娜·卡尼在一項聲明中指出。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:夏晴
Moderna has promised to further explain the pricing for its COVID-19 vaccine—one of the most expensive for countries outside the U.S.—as it tries to quell multiple shareholder revolts over unequal access to the lifesaving substance.
Moderna's mRNA-based jab—the only medicine in the company's portfolio—is in many places the most expensive COVID vaccine, costing as much as $30 a dose. In the U.S., where the government removed much of the risk for the company by giving it $2.48 billion to develop the vaccine, Moderna charges around $15 per dose.
The pharma firm promised a year ago that it would "provide effective and affordable vaccines and therapeutics to all populations," and indeed it recently agreed to charge the African Union just $7 per dose. However, as detailed in a widely shared New York Times report in early October, Moderna spent most of the vaccine's first year serving rich countries such as the U.S. and Germany, sending only a million doses to low-income countries while rivals Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson sent 8.4 million and 25 million doses respectively. Moderna pledged to deliver a billion doses to poor countries by the end of 2022, but many shareholders were not satisfied.
As reported by the Financial Times on Sunday, the asset-management giant Legal & General wrote to Moderna last month, pointing out that "universal and low-cost vaccine access is critical to save lives, stabilize the economy, and prevent domestic outbreaks."
It proposed that at Moderna's upcoming annual meeting, shareholders formally ask management to explain "whether and how Moderna's receipt of government financial support for development and manufacture of a vaccine for COVID-19 is being, or will be, taken into account when making decisions that affect access to such products, such as setting prices."
Barrage of proposals
Legal & General's proposal was revealed when Moderna wrote to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 10 days ago, asking for assurance that it wouldn't be penalized for excluding the document from the proxy statement it will file ahead of its 2022 annual shareholder meeting.
In its letter to the SEC, Moderna argued that it has already provided a lot of information about its pricing, particularly in the U.S., and said it would release another statement by mid-February that will provide the explanation that Legal & General is demanding. Moderna's 2022 annual meeting is scheduled for April 28. The company has not yet responded to a request for comment on the proposal.
The language of Legal & General's proposal is nearly identical to that in a separate set of investor demands, announced earlier this month by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). Those proposals target not only Moderna, but also Pfizer and J&J—the latter company's COVID vaccine efforts received nearly $1.5 billion in U.S. government funding, while Pfizer's benefited from the $445 million given to its partner, BioNTech, by the German government last year.
The ICCR, whose members include investment firms, religious institutions, and nongovernmental organizations such as Oxfam America, also aimed proposals at Moderna and Pfizer that would force them to report on the feasibility of transferring intellectual property and technical know-how to manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries, to stimulate production.
"At this moment of unprecedented peril for public health and the global economy, we must seek all options to bring the vaccine to everyone, everywhere as quickly as possible," said Oxfam America CEO Abby Maxman in a statement. "Continuing to prioritize short-term profits over people’s lives is not only immoral, it is also a grave risk to all companies, investors, and our economy."
Legal & General's supporting statement also touched on this subject. "As of September 2021, Moderna had shipped 88% of its doses to upper- and upper-middle-income countries; it has acknowledged that its manufacturing capacity is ‘still limited,’” the asset manager wrote. "As a result, Moderna is under pressure to share intellectual property with other manufacturers to boost supply. As of October 2021, Moderna had declined to transfer its technology to any manufacturer in a low- or middle-income country." (This remains the case at the end of December.)
Legal & General also noted that Moderna has not followed J&J and AstraZeneca (also a recipient of funding under the U.S.'s Operation Warp Speed) in pledging to provide its vaccine on a nonprofit basis during the pandemic, and that "its pricing does not seem to be linked to income.” The U.S. and EU have been paying less per dose than middle-income countries such as Botswana, Thailand, and Colombia.
Vaccine inequality
As of mid-December, just 4% of people in low-income countries had been vaccinated against COVID-19, while rich countries are plowing on with booster campaigns that could exacerbate the inequality, potentially encouraging the rise of further variants beyond Omicron.
"It really is a stain on our global soul, and it affects us all because I think people are beginning to realize that if we allow the disease to spread in poor countries and the virus mutates, it comes back to haunt even the fully vaccinated," former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last week.
Also last week, Oxfam America said it has filed an SEC whistleblower complaint against Moderna for failing to disclose its long-running patent dispute with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), with which it collaborated in the vaccine's development. Moderna tried to secure a patent for a key genetic sequence without naming NIH scientists as coinventors. Following reports of the dispute, and an ensuing outcry, Moderna partially backed down in mid-December, suspending the finalization of the patent application.
"Instead of being transparent and using its lifesaving technology to help curb the pandemic, Moderna is doing the opposite, obfuscating its patent dispute with the U.S. government, ignoring the death and suffering of millions worldwide, and declining to share their technology to help alleviate the stranglehold that COVID-19 has placed on the global economy," Oxfam America senior legal adviser Diana Kearney said in a statement.