Why we know so little about Pfizer’s vaccine deal with the US
On Nov. 9, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced some early results for their Covid-19 vaccine candidate. Data from a late-stage clinical trial show the two-dose shot could be 90% effective at preventing infections—a promising development that quickly devolved into a fight for bragging rights.
Vice president Mike Pence attributed the news to Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s “public-private partnership,” while Pfizer tried to take credit for its own work. Although the company did strike a deal worth $1.95 billion for the US government to purchase 100 million doses of the vaccine, it emphasized that it received no federal funding for vaccine research and development.
What’s behind the confusion? In part, it’s because of the way many Operation Warp Speed contracts have been executed, with their terms largely invisible to the public.
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