PFE - U.S. govt. to stop buying COVID-19 vaccines therapies tests from this fall - Jha

As the U.S. prepares to transition from the acute phase of the pandemic, the Biden administration will stop purchases of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests as early as this fall, the White House COVID response coordinator Ashish Jha said.

"My hope is that in 2023, you're going to see the commercialization of almost all of these products. Some of that is actually going to begin this fall, in the days and weeks ahead. You're going to see commercialization of some of these things ," Jha said Tuesday at an event sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

The availability of these products will shift to the regular healthcare system. Therefore, those who need a vaccine or antiviral therapy will get it from their doctor or a hospital, Jha explained.

According to Jha, the transition to commercialization will begin in the fall, but it will be more visible next year.

Leading COVID-19 vaccine makers: Pfizer ( NYSE: PFE ), BioNTech ( BNTX ), Moderna ( MRNA ), Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ), and Novavax ( NVAX )

Makers of COVID-19 therapeutics: Gilead ( GILD ), Eli Lilly ( LLY ), Vir Biotechnology ( VIR )/ GlaxoSmithKline ( GSK ), Regeneron ( REGN ), Pfizer ( PFE ), Merck ( MRK )

Largest U.S. manufacturers of rapid COVID-19 antigen tests: Becton, Dickinson ( BDX ), Quidel ( QDEL ), Abbott Laboratories ( ABT ), Roche ( OTCQX:RHHBY )

The move follows funding constraints that forced officials to redirect money previously allocated for COVID-19 tests, personal protective equipment, and R&D to purchase updated booster shots, antivirals, and monoclonal antibody treatments.

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