Pfizer Inc. has been first across the finish line in nearly every leg of the COVID-19 vaccine race, but Moderna Inc. executives say their company’s long experience with messenger RNA technology give it a more enduring advantage.
"We’re not dabbling” in mRNA, the technology that is the backbone of both the leading U.S. vaccines, Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in an interview Friday. "We’ve been doing this for a few years, we’re the creators of this space.”
Hoge said Pfizer’s experience with fast clinical trials and mass production allowed it to excel in the short run. The pharmaceutical giant, founded in 1849, has developed countless household-name therapies. Additionally, its partner, BioNTech SE, had been working on mRNA for years.