Pfizer CEO Sells Stock Same Day Positive Results of COVID-19 Vaccine Announced
Story Highlights On Nov. 9, 2020, Pfizer released preliminary Phase 3 clinical trial data indicating that its experimental mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is 90 percent effective, triggering a big surge in stock price. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla immediately sold 60 percent of his company stock, realizing a gain of $5.6 million in what the company called […]
Only Half of Americans Polled Say They Would Get COVID-19 Vaccine
In a poll conducted for CNN during Oct. 1-4, 2020, the Pennsylvania-based market research firm SSRS found that 51 percent of the 1,205 Americans surveyed said they would try to get a COVID-19 vaccine if it were widely available at a low cost, 45 percent said they would not and four percent had no opinion. Sixty […]
Polls Find Many Americans Do Not Want COVID-19 Vaccine as Soon as It’s Licensed
Story Highlights More adults in the U.S. are expressing doubts about the safety of a newly licensed COVID-19 vaccine that might become available this year. The number of poll respondents planning on getting a new coronavirus vaccine as soon as it is FDA approved has fallen from a reported high of 50 to 60 percent […]
Makers of Experimental COVID-19 Vaccines Lobby EU for Liability Protection
Vaccines Europe, a pharmaceutical industry lobbying group, has issued a memo to its member companies saying it would seek liability protection from the European Union (EU) for corporations manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines. The memo, obtained by the Financial Times, expressed concern about the “inevitable risks” of rushing the development and global marketing of COVID-19 vaccines.1 2 3 […]
Novartis Pays $678 Million for Kickbacks to Doctors
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. of East Hanover, New Jersey has agreed to pay $678 million to settle a civil fraud lawsuit in which the U.S. government accused the company of illegally providing doctors with cash payments and other gifts for prescribing their cardiovascular and diabetes drugs between 2002 and 2011.1 Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of […]
Genetically Engineered Cow Plasma Therapy for COVID-19 Will Be Tested on Humans
Story Highlights Human trials for a new COVID-19 immunotherapy candidate (SAB-185) that is derived from genetically engineered cow plasma will begin in July 2020. The cows have been genetically engineered to produce human antibodies to fight off COVID-19. Plasma from the cows is expected to assist COVID-19 patients overcome the infection. SAb Biotherapeutics (SAB), a […]