Pfizer BioNTech, which developed the first COVID vaccine approved in the United States, is planning to sell doses for $110 to $130 once the US government ceases paying for the shots, the company said Friday. Pfizer also said, though, that most people won’t pay out of pocket.
The pricing, for anyone aged 12 and older, could kick in as early as the first quarter of 2023, when the vaccine will no longer be distributed by the government but will instead be transitioned to the US health care system, Pfizer said. The company expects most people to continue paying nothing for the vaccine: Health insurance should cover the shots, and eligible US residents without health insurance will be able to access the vaccine for free through Pfizer’s patient assistance program.
Pfizer’s vaccine was initially approved for emergency use back in December 2020, and people started getting shots that month. The vaccine received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in August 2021, and Pfizer’s Omicron variant booster was approved for emergency use in September of this year.
Moderna, the other maker of an mRNA vaccine for COVID, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it’ll begin charging similar prices.
Read more: Which COVID Booster Should I Get? What to Know About Mixing Vaccines
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