Investors Betting on a Coronavirus Vaccine Better Know Who Gets First Dibs in Global Pact
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance -- two arms of the World Health Organization (WHO) set up to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases -- haven't garnered a lot of attention in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic. In March, as the U.S. was shutting down, CEPI put out a call for $2 billion in the hopes of creating eight vaccine candidates, shepherding three through clinical trials and approval. In May, CEPI invited organizations to submit proposals for funding their vaccine candidates. By the end of August, there were nine candidates in the program, and another nine under evaluation. The goal of the program is to bring equitable access to successful vaccines in order to end the global pandemic. There are currently 172 countries signed on -- 80 "self-funding" countries and 92 low and middle-income countries.
Among the vaccines currently in the program are candidates from public companies Inovio (NASDAQ: INO), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), CureVac (NASDAQ: CVAC), AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN), and Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX). The program could have real implications for investors. Terms of the agreements may determine which vaccines ultimately get distributed, where they are available, and how much the developing company charges.
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Source Fool.com
