Pharmaceutical Industry Reaping Billions of Dollars in Profits from Coronavirus Tests
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have urged widespread testing for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is associated with COVID-19 disease. The two types of coronavirus tests used for diagnosis are laboratory tests and rapid tests, which can either be an antigen test or a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test […]
Sales of Pfizer COVID-19 Biologic for 2021-2022 May Near $70 Billion
Based on better than expected sales of its experimental messenger RNA (mRNA) BNT162b2 COVID-19 biologic, New York-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Inc. last summer revised projected sales of its experimental drug, also known as “Comirnaty,” from $26 billion to $33.5 billion in 2021. Characterizing second-quarter sales of BNT162b2 as “remarkable,” Pfizer’s chief executive officer (CEO) Albert […]
Former Pfizer Employee Whistleblower Alleges Falsified Data in COVID Biologic Trial
A former testing site researcher in Texas has alleged that Pfizer’s pre-licensure BNT162b2 (also known as “Comirnaty”) COVID-19 biologic trials included falsification of data, unblinding patients, employing inadequately trained vaccinators, and delays in following up on experimental COVID vaccine adverse reaction reports.1 According to clinical trial researcher Brook Jackson, the incidences occurred during the phase […]
Merck and Pfizer Seek Approval for COVID-19 Antiviral Drugs
Merck and Pfizer have submitted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize distribution of what would be the first antiviral drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 disease.1 Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are seeking EUA approval for Molnupiravir (MK-4482/EIDD-2801), an investigational oral antiviral drug originally developed to treat influenza.2 Pfizer […]
Pfizer Raises Sales Forecast for COVID-19 Biologic to $33.5 Billion in 2021
Pfizer, Inc. reported that the company sold $7.8 billion worth of their COVID-19 biologic BNT162b2 in the second quarter of this year raising the company’s 2021 sales forecast for the two-dose vaccine to $33.5 billion from the previously estimated $26 billion.1 The $7.8 billion from direct sales of the shot is split with its German […]
Existing Drugs Hold Promise for Treatment of COVID-19
Story Highlights A group of Israeli researchers have studied close to 3,000 approved drugs to see if any could be repurposed to treat COVID-19. They identified 18 that showed encouraging results in laboratory studies, in many cases completely protecting human cells despite infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Three drugs have been singled […]
