Companies that manufacture authorized COVID-19 shots are down significantly following word that a closely watched CDC vaccines advisory committee meeting next week will receive a presentation tying the vaccines to the deaths of 25 children.
Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) are all in the red in Friday afternoon trading. Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s shots are based on an mRNA platform, while Novavax’s (NASDAQ:NVAX) is a more traditional protein-based.
As of 230p ET, Moderna and BioNTech are down the most, with both off ~8%.
While The Washington Post first broke the news of the presentation, a subsequent report in The New York Times said that it will be made by Tracy Beth Hoeg, a medical doctor who is senior advisor for clinical sciences in the U.S. FDA’s Office of the Commissioner and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
During the COVID pandemic, she was a was a consultant epidemiologist to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who faced harsh criticism based on comments he made about COVID mitigation efforts, treatments, and misinformation.
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