Moderna (MRNA 0.62%) and Pfizer (PFE 1.16%) have been leaders in the coronavirus vaccine space since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized their vaccines in December. But these mRNA vaccines aren't identical. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on May 28, healthcare and cannabis bureau editor and analyst Olivia Zitkus and Fool.com contributor Adria Cimino discuss a difference between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines -- and this difference may mean greater market share for Moderna.
Olivia Zitkus: My last Pfizer-related question is going to loop Moderna back in again. Like you mentioned before, they're really closely matched in terms of the number of vaccines that have been distributed in the U.S. Is there anything else that you think really sets the success of either the vaccine from Moderna and Pfizer apart, in terms of actually getting into people's arms? That's the struggle now. We have enough; it's just getting them into people's arms.
Adria Cimino: Moderna definitely has a logistics advantage. It has the temperature advantage. Moderna's vaccine can stay in refrigerator temperatures -- just standard fridge -- for up to three months. Pfizer only for one month. This is actually even better than before because Pfizer before it was five days, now it's one month. But still, it's well behind Moderna. This could represent something that is a weakness because there are certain countries and even in the U.S. there are certain areas where people just don't have the facilities to store all these vaccines, and so it's much easier to get the Moderna vaccine. Pfizer is working on improvements. They're working on a new formulation, so we will see what happens in the coming months with all of that. But for now, I'd say that Moderna has the advantage here.
