The news: President Trump is insisting that pharma companies publicly demonstrate the success of their COVID-19 vaccines.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that disagreement over whether the COVID-19 vaccines work has “ripped apart” the CDC. He added that he’s been shown “extraordinary” data on the vaccines from Pfizer and others, but wants drugmakers to present this information to the CDC and the public.
Why it matters: Trump’s post will likely add to public uncertainty about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly called out perceived risks of the shots and has taken steps to restrict access to only certain patients.
Our first take: Trump’s comments are especially confusing, considering his first administration spearheaded the Operation Warp Speed initiative that accelerated the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the early days of the pandemic. Trump has taken credit for that work, but is now saying he’s unsure about the efficacy of the treatments that his team helped bring to market.
Still, his demand should not worry vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna. In fact, it’s an opportunity for them to answer the call by sharing evidence-based data on their products (which the FDA has likely already seen) in a public setting that could force the Trump administration to acknowledge the shots’ effectiveness.
This is our immediate perspective. We’re actively developing this story throughout the day with more research and data from the EMARKETER database. Our in-depth analysis will be included in our client-only Briefings. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.
Check out other EMARKETER content related to this story: