Pharmaceutical rivals don’t often lead to each other’s defenses. But Pfizer’s chief executive has said after the US Department of Health and Human Services terminated its contract with drugmaker Moderna to develop a flu vaccine for mRNA birds, “mRNA technology remains under-tested.”
“mRNA is probably the most used vaccine in human history,” Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourra said Friday, saying there is about 1.5 billion mRNA vaccine doses against Covid-19, which have been administered worldwide from his company alone. “So it’s been tested very well.”
HHS said Wednesday it has cancelled at least $590 million federal funds Moderna used for MORENA to use Mercana technology to develop a pandemic influenza vaccine, including one against the H5 avian influenza virus. The H5N1 strain has infected at least 70 people since last year and killed one in the US.
A spokesperson for the HHS argued, “We have concluded that continuing investment in modern H5N1 mRNA vaccines cannot be scientifically or ethically justified,” and “mRNA technology remains under-tested and will not spend taxpayer dollars on repeated mistakes in the final administration.”
When asked about his responses to these comments, Brula replied, “Both are completely inaccurate.”
The Pharma giants chief spoke with CNN on Friday. Pfizer presented new data on colon cancer drugs at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, the world’s largest conference on cancer research, or at the ASCO conference. Pfizer’s drug Braffovi has been shown to double the length of patients with aggressive forms of colorectal cancer. In clinical trials, the average is 30 months compared to 15.
It was a “very important discovery,” Brula said. The rate of colorectal cancer is “now rising rapidly, especially among young people.”
And while Pfizer was making a big bet on cancer research, its CEO said it hasn’t stepped into investing in vaccines despite the “very big gap” between the company and HHS, particularly the “very big gap” between Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Science is proven,” Brula said. “What they do is that vaccination rates will come back and bite us,” he said, “it won’t take a long time.”
Already, the United States has experienced one of its biggest measles outbreaks since the country was declared excluded in 2000, and the rate of pertussis or pertussis has also increased.
A recurrence of the illness probably means that we have to reverse it soon,” Brula said.
Bourla worked with the first Trump administration in 2020 to advance the company’s Covid-19 vaccine through operational speed, but Pfizer said it had not accepted federal funds to help develop vaccines for the purchase of the vaccine after the fact.
He said, “In spite of the vaccine gap, “When I talk to them, including Secretary Kennedy, I found some topics that are incredibly consistent with what we are.”
According to the company, taking on cancer is one of the key areas of the agreement. Bourla cited an executive order from President Donald Trump covering issues such as addressing shortened market exclusivity in tablets compared to injectable drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act. This is what the industry calls “tablet penalty.”
“We agree to oppose splitting us, so we’re working to address those things,” Brula said.
He noted that he opposed the administration’s proposed 40% budget cuts for the National Institutes of Health, and emphasized that the United States is “the dominant scientific force in biomedical sciences today.
“Breaking this chain of links in this large ecosystem, that’s not good for us and is actually a gift for our Chinese friends.”
Bourla has also had issues with HHS’ behavior regarding the Covid-19 vaccine over the past two weeks. The US Food and Drug Administration has changed the way they approve the latest shots of people not in vulnerable groups, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer recommend the Covid-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women.
Over the past few years, Covid-19 vaccines have been updated in a similar way to seasonal influenza shots, based on evidence that they generate immune responses. The clinical trials needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing disease cases are thought to take too long to become feasible each season. Additionally, the FDA and its advisors had previously considered updating vaccines small enough to not change their safety profile.
“We were asked if Pfizer could run clinical trials quickly enough to ensure that the latest vaccines are available to all, not just people in the vulnerable group.
Brula noted that the impact of the Trump administration’s change on the policies of US health agencies is not entirely clear. But “The problem is, it’s not based on scientific data. It’s just based on belief.”
“The right process is not followed. This is not just something. Let’s say that a secretary or someone with a high level of problems is the new rule,” he said. “You need to follow the process of reviews, professionals, FDA professional staff and more.”
Dorit Reiss, a law professor at UC Law San Francisco, suggested that HHS’ “bad management procedures” would release updated CDC recommendations if challenged in court.
Will Pfizer consider filing a lawsuit?
“My first response is that I want to find a solution, but it doesn’t cause tension,” Bourra replied. “But of course, if we feel we have to do it, we will.”
Overall, the CEO emphasized that the administration is willing to engage in debate, noting that it “maintains a very close relationship” with the White House.
“We can’t complain if they don’t listen to us,” Brula said.