Pfizer CEO: Expecting pharma to fight COVID for free ‘very fanatic and radical’
The head of the largest pharmaceutical company by revenues is pulling no punches defending the profit motive in the fight against COVID-19.
Answering critics who have called for drugmakers to offer COVID vaccines and treatments at cost once they’re ready, Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, told Barron’s this week that anyone making such statements would “need to be very fanatic and radical to say something like that right now.”
“Who is finding the solution?” he added. “The private sector found the solution for diagnostics, and the private sector found the solution for therapeutics and is along [the] way to find more solutions for therapeutics and vaccines. So how can you say something like that? Doesn’t make sense.”
As of this writing, the article has drawn five combox comments, all supporting Bourla’s position.
People “don’t understand how many times Pfizer gets to phase 3 only to have the drug fail and be out billions of dollars,” one reader points out. “Are the screaming do-gooders going to reimburse Pfizer for trying? I rest my case.”
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.