Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he understood concerns about the speed of vaccine development.
Geneva:
Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said Tuesday that he understood concerns about the speed at which drug companies have produced Covid-19 vaccines, but insisted no corners have been cut.
When Britain became the first Western country on Tuesday to launch a massive coronavirus vaccination campaign, using Pfizer-BioNTech’s new jab, Bourla said people should feel confident that it is safe and effective.
“We don’t cut corners,” he said at a virtual press conference organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Products Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).
The vaccine, based on new technology, has been tested “in exactly the same way that we are testing any vaccine that is circulating out there,” Bourla said.
In fact, he added, “this vaccine was actually tested, due to scrutiny, to even higher standards in terms of how we do things.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech jab is one of several vaccine candidates approaching approval in multiple countries, providing hope for an end to the pandemic that has killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide. and devastated economies.
Bourla said he understood the concerns about the speed at which the vaccines had been developed.
“There are always people who are skeptical about vaccines, but I have to say they are wrong,” he said.
“I imagine that in this case, because the products, the vaccines or the drugs are developing very quickly, it is even worse because it has been severely politicized, particularly in the United States.
“That confuses people. They don’t know who to believe and what to believe, because the discussion was developed in political and not scientific terms.”
But he stressed that companies were determined to ensure that only safe and effective vaccines make it to market, and “regulators are very careful.”
For those who are wary of being hit, Bourla said: “I understand your concerns, but you need to think twice.
“The decision to vaccinate, or not, is not only affecting your health. It is affecting the health of others and probably the health of the people you love,” he said.
“If you don’t get vaccinated, you are becoming the weak link that will allow the virus to replicate.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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