BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • World
      • Did Pfizer Benefit From Trump's...
      World

      Did Pfizer Benefit From Trump's Operation Warp Speed To Develop COVID-19 Vaccine?

      While Pfizer benefited from the government's vaccine fund, this was to supply and distribute the vaccine, not to develop it.

      By - AFP |
      Published -  14 Nov 2020 7:50 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      Did Pfizer Benefit From Trumps Operation Warp Speed To Develop COVID-19 Vaccine?
      News of promising results from a coronavirus vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer sparked misinformation about the company's role in the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, an effort to deliver a Covid-19 shot nationwide. While Pfizer benefited from the government's vaccine fund, this was to supply and distribute the vaccine, not to develop it.


      "HUGE NEWS," Vice President Mike Pence tweeted on November 9, 2020. "Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers."


      Screenshot of a tweet taken on November 13, 2020

      The post followed an announcement that a vaccine jointly developed by US firm Pfizer and German company BioNTech was 90 percent effective at preventing Covid-19 infections in ongoing Phase 3 trials.

      Other posts quickly sought to distance the breakthrough from the administration of President Donald Trump, falsely claiming that Pfizer is not part of Operation Warp Speed. The US government partnership with pharmaceutical companies to develop and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine is a signature initiative of Trump's heavily-criticized response to the pandemic.

      "In reality, Pfizer was not part of Operation Warp Speed," reads a November 9 tweet by John Fugelsang, a political commentator and actor with more than 450,000 followers.


      Screenshot of a Facebook post taken on November 13, 2020

      While Operation Warp Speed provided research and development money to several pharmaceutical firms, including Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, Pfizer accepted government funds to supply and distribute their shot, not develop it.

      "Pfizer is collaborating with BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, to develop COVID-19 investigational vaccines without US government financial support," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a July 22 statement.

      The Department at that time announced an agreement with Pfizer "for large-scale production and nationwide delivery" of a Covid-19 vaccine in the US following "successful manufacture and approval," as part of the Warp Speed goal of quickly getting a safe vaccine to the American public.

      Pfizer and BioNTech agreed to supply up to 600 million doses of their vaccine as part of the program.

      Social media users speculated about Pfizer's involvement in the program here and here.

      "Trump has nothing to do with the success of this vaccine which was not a part of his program. Indeed, he continuously undermined and humiliated the scientific community," one user said.

      The confusion over the company's participation in Warp Speed likely stemmed from Pfizer senior vice president Kathrin Jansen's misleading statement quoted in The New York Times: "We were never part of the Warp Speed," she said. "We have never taken any money from the US government, or from anyone."

      Another spokesperson later clarified, as did the Times, that the company is involved in Operation Warp Speed "as a supplier of a potential coronavirus vaccine."

      Coronavirus cases are surging across the United States and Europe, with governments forced to take more drastic action despite economic crises.

      The pandemic and vaccines were major issues in the November 3 presidential election. Trump has clashed repeatedly with his own government experts, often refusing to back restrictions or even wear a mask in public. After the announcement about the effectiveness of Pfizer's vaccine Trump claimed -- without evidence -- that the news was delayed until after the election to damage him.

      "They are part" of Operation Warp Speed, Trump said during a November 13 briefing. "It was an unfortunate mistake that they made when they said" that they weren't.

      As the pandemic spread, Pfizer in mid-March formed the partnership with BioNTech to develop a vaccine based on new genetic technology. The first tests began quickly in April.

      With the product selected -- a two-dose vaccine given over the course of three weeks -- a large clinical trial began in July involving more than 40,000 participants.

      If trials continue successfully, Pfizer plans to request authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration by the end of November, 2020.

      It plans to produce 50 million doses by the end of the year and 1.3 billion in 2021.

      (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

      Tags

      PfizerOperation Warp SpeedCOVID-19Coronavirus PandemicCoronavirus OutbreakCoronavirus CureCoronavirus VaccineMike Pence#DonaldTrump
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   Pfizer developed it COVID-19 vaccine with the help of the Trump government.
      Claimed By :  Mike Pence, Social media posts
      Fact Check :  Misleading
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!