Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Wednesday defended the development of Covid vaccinations, including Pfizer’s own, suggesting that they should have won President Trump a Nobel Peace Prize, in response to a social media post earlier this week in which Trump accused drug firms of not sharing data that could end a controversy that is causing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be “ripped apart.”
Bourla said in a statement made public on Pfizer’s website that hundreds of studies documenting the benefits of the vaccines and Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. program that backed the development of Covid immunizations and therapies, have already been made publicly available. He called the development of the shots a “profound public health achievement.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, American innovation led the world, helping prevent economic collapse and saving more than 14 million lives globally,” Bourla said. “Operation Warp Speed restored consumer confidence, saved over $1 trillion in health care costs due to reductions in serious illness and avoidance of hospitalizations, and rapidly scaled up domestic production. This American leadership also delivered a new platform that may drive significant innovation in cancer research.”
“Such an accomplishment,” he went on, “would typically be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, given its significant impact.” Trump has openly coveted the prize.
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