Pfizer, Moderna seen reaping billions from COVID-19 vaccine booster market
NEW YORK, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Drugmakers Pfizer Inc, BioNTech and Moderna Inc are expected to reap billions of dollars from COVID-19 booster shots in a market that could rival the $6 billion in annual sales for flu vaccines for years to come, analysts and healthcare investors say. For several months, the companies have said they expect that fully inoculated people will need an extra dose of their vaccines to maintain protection over time and to fend off new coronavirus variants. Now a growing list of governments, including Chile, Germany and Israel, have decided to offer booster doses to older citizens or people with weak immune systems in the face of the fast-spreading Delta variant. Late on Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a booster dose of vaccines from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) for people with compromised immune systems. Pfizer, along with its German partner BioNTech , and Moderna have together locked up over $60 billion
