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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump on Friday falsely claimed all credit for Pfizer Inc.’s announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine was a robust success, distorting the extent of government support behind the efforts of the government. ‘business.
A look at the complaint, made during his first public remarks since his loss to President-elect Joe Biden:
TRUMP: “Following Operation Warp Speed, Pfizer announced Monday that its vaccine against the Chinese virus is over 90% effective. … Pfizer said this is not part of Warp Speed, but it turned out to be an unfortunate misrepresentation.
THE FACTS: Not so much. In particular, Pfizer has not accepted government money to develop, test or expand manufacturing capacity under Trump’s Operation Warp Speed initiative to quickly find a vaccine and treatments for the sweeping disease. the country.
In fact, Pfizer partnered with the original vaccine developer Germany BioNTech in March and the following month announced the first human study in Germany. The White House announced Operation Warp Speed in May.
Pfizer chose not to join Operation Warp Speed initially, but follows the same general requirements for vaccine development as competitors who have received government research funding. The company says it risked $ 2 billion of its own money for vaccine development and won’t get anything from Washington unless the effort succeeds.
“The costs of developing and manufacturing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have been fully self-funded,” Pfizer spokeswoman Jerica Pitts said this week. “We have decided to self-finance our efforts in order to be able to act as quickly as possible.”
However, Pfizer signed a deal with the US government in July worth $ 1.95 billion – if the vaccine fails and is cleared by the FDA – to deliver 100 million doses. This gives Pfizer a US market, a significant incentive.
The supply side of Operation Warp Speed also allows Pfizer logistical assistance, although the company is shipping its own vaccine directly, while the government will control the shipment of other COVID-19 vaccines.
Pfizer’s announcement does not mean that a vaccine has been approved and will hit the market immediately.
The next step for Pfizer would be to seek “emergency use authorization” from the Food and Drug Administration, possibly later this month, which would allow limited distribution before seeking full FDA approval for the. wider use by the general public in 2021. Neither. step is guaranteed.
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EDITOR’S NOTE – A look at the veracity of the claims of political figures.
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