Moderna Interim Data | Pricing Covid-19 Vaccines | SpaceX Launches Astronauts

Plus: Chili pepper consumption may improve health

The Covid-19 vaccine race kicked into hyperdrive this week as Moderna released interim data showing that it’s mRNA vaccine was almost 95% effective, on the heels of last week’s news of Pfizer’s interim data showing 90% effectiveness. “As I’ve said all along since we started chasing this virus in January, no one company can supply the planet,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told Forbes assistant editor Leah Rosenbaum. 

Moderna’s platform relies on messenger RNA to deliver instructions to the cells in your body, which then produce small parts of the Covid-19 virus that are just enough to trigger the immune system without getting you sick. We’ve got a breakdown of everything you need to know about the vaccine. Plus, mRNA vaccines come with some logistical hurdles. Pfizer’s vaccine can be refrigerated for 5 days, but long-term storage is at -70℃ (-94℉). The company is testing delivery methods in four states.

Any questions? Send me an email at kjennings@forbes.com.

The bottom line is that in the United States, at least, people will pay very little out-of-pocket—if anything at all. And given the significant amount of federal funding, many vaccine manufacturers are pricing well below what the market would bear, at around $40, which is the cost of an annual flu vaccine. But from an economic standpoint, Covid-19 vaccines could have a much higher price tag and still be worth it, given the substantial healthcare costs and worker absences caused by the pandemic.

Noteworthy

Amazon’s move into the digital pharmacy realm wipes $10 billion from Walgreens and CVS market values. 

Telehealth company Amwell beat analyst expectations on revenue but missed on earnings per share in its first earnings report since IPO.

Cancer survivors may be less likely to enroll in clinical trials over Covid-19 fears, study finds. 

President-elect Joe Biden’s “Medicare at 60” plan could hinge on the outcome of the Georgia Senate race. 

Global measles deaths topped 200,000 last year, as vaccination rates decline.

Doctor prescribed exercise can help people change habits and improve health, according to a new study.  

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• Jeff Bezos Announces Nearly $800 Million In Donations To Climate Change Organizations

What Else We Are Reading

• Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint (The New York Times)

• That Pre-Thanksgiving Covid Test Won't Really Keep You Safe (Wired)

• Covid-19 Vaccines Could Depend on the Strength of This Vial (The Wall Street Journal)