Pfizer is sinking billions in profits from COVID-19 into developing and marketing potential new treatment blockbusters for conditions like migraines, sickle cell disease and obesity.
FDA's accelerated reviews employ hotly debated effectiveness standards and result in drugs that are costly and of marginal benefit.
A federal program compensates people experiencing vaccine injuries, but not injuries from COVID vaccines — not yet, anyway.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to meet on Friday to discuss whether rare instances of a heart disorder merit changing its recommendations for vaccinating teenagers with the Pfizer vaccine.
The scientist at the center of the storm can't disprove that the virus resulted from a lab leak in China -- though he doesn't believe it.
“We need to take care of the problem everywhere to be able to take care of it anywhere,” says Dr. Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
Though the vaccine appears to offer a high level of protection, it's not clear how long immunity would last and whether the vaccine might cause any health problems. No serious side effects have been noted but it's early days yet.
If there is a silver lining to the flawed U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is this: The relatively high number of new cases being diagnosed daily — upward of 20,000 — will make it easier to test new vaccines.
