Moderna Inc. MRNA shares,
rose 1.3% in the pre-market on Monday after the company said it plans to launch new development programs using its mRNA technology that will focus on developing vaccines against seasonal flu, HIV and the Nipah virus. This follows the success of its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, which is one of the two vaccines to be authorized so far in the USA. CEO Moderna also said he plans to expand his respiratory syncytial virus to include older adults, and plans to test vaccines using different combinations that fight the flu, COVID-19, RSV and human metapneumovirus. “The challenging year 2020 for the whole society proved to be an extraordinary period of proof of concept for Moderna,” said CEO Stéphane Bancel in a press release. As part of its corporate update, Moderna said it had about $ 5.2 billion in cash on December 31, compared with $ 1.2 billion in cash at the same time a year ago, and expects to generate at least $ 11.7 billion in revenue in 2021 for its COVID-19 vaccine based on pre-purchase contracts. Moderna’s shares shot up 489.1% in the last year, while the S&P 500 SPX,
increased 19.7%.
