There are some obstacles, such as patent waivers sought by SA and India, ahead, but the potential for long-term returns is huge
13 September 2021 - 17:35When investors try to identify the next exciting frontier for humankind, they may think of conquering outer space. But there’s a more vital one here on Earth.
It all represents a lot of opportunity — and uncertainty — ahead of what feels like a coming vaccine revolution.There is no shortage of companies in the area. The list ranges from hot biotech companies such as Moderna and BioNTech to Big Pharma players such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson . As well, new Covid-19 vaccines are in the pipeline, along with booster shots for variant strains and therapeutic treatments for Covid-19 sufferers, and perhaps oral and nasal delivery of vaccines. Sanofi, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are among the companies testing mRNA flu vaccines; Moderna is also developing a two-in-one booster shot to protect against flu and Covid-19.
Clinical trials of certain vaccines may prove disappointing — as evidenced by the loss of almost $9.6bn in market value in a single day in June when a large study of a CureVac vaccine showed lower efficacy than rival vaccines.Investors may already have more exposure to the vaccine industry than they realise, in diluted form. In the US, Moderna was added to the S&P 500 Index in July, and J&J and Pfizer are among the top 25 stocks in the index.
Less-obvious plays along the vaccine supply chain include US companies such as Catalent, which specialises in delivery technologies for drugs and biologics, and Corning, which is manufacturing vials.
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