American taxpayers have been forced to hand Moderna around $10 billion for its coronavirus inoculation. Now, new reports have revealed that should the Biden administration have its desires granted, that amount may soon go up.
Last month, a court filing revealed that lawyers representing the Department of Justice attempted to “relieve” Moderna of any liability it may have from a case that alleges it skipped out on paying licensing fees for technology used to create its shot under “Operation Warp Speed.” DOJ attorneys have argued that Moderna’s costs should be covered by the government, and therefore the American taxpayer.
A judge overseeing the case reportedly denied the DOJ request. In spite of that setback, the possibility that Modern and the federal government may attempt to appeal the ruling remains.
In related news, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel was called to testify for a Senate hearing on Wednesday. During the appearance, Bancel was grilled by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who among other things, was put on the spot over the risk of myocarditis faced by young males following injection of the Moderna jab.
“You’re saying that for ages 16 to 24, among males who take the COVID vaccine, their risk of myocarditis is less than people who get the disease?” Paul asked.
Bancel answered, “That is my understanding,” before Paul interjected to call out his claim as false.
“That is not true,” stated Paul. “And I’d like to enter into the record six peer-reviewed papers … that say the complete opposite of what you say. I also spoke with your president just last week, and he readily acknowledged in private that, yes, there is an increased risk of myocarditis. The fact that you can’t say in public is quite disturbing.”
Bancel additionally refused to speak on whether or not there is a conflict of interest when people who create policies forcing shots also profit off their distribution.
NEW: Sen. @RandPaul Confronts Moderna CEO About the Risk of Myocarditis in Young Males
Paul: "You're saying that for ages 16 to 24, among males who take the COVID vaccine, their risk of myocarditis is less than people who get the disease?"
Bancel: "That is my understanding —"… pic.twitter.com/ClifylOe0g
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) March 22, 2023
As was noted by The Washington Free Beacon, Moderna, which had not advertised a drug in 10 years, has made a pretty penny following the release of its shot. The pharmaceutical company’s revenues shot up from under $800 million in 2020 to $19 billion last year. This is in addition to the almost $10 billion the U.S. government handed to Moderna during the coronavirus pandemic, which came in the form of an $8.2 billion contract with the Pentagon and another $1.7 billion from the Department of Health and Human Services.
