Sociopath and career con man and liar Donald "COVID Donnie" Trump has been desperate to con the public into believing that a vaccine is imminent, so that he can do a "back to normal" victory lap in time for the election. After grasping at dangerous treatments like hydroxychloroquine and, incredibly, disinfectant injections, Trump is whipping the scientific community to cut corners and limit testing protocols to produce a "miracle" vaccine. However, he may run into resistance from the very companies that he needs to develop such a vaccine, who are looking not only at profits but at legal liability:
"The chief executives of nine drug companies pledged Tuesday not to seek regulatory approval before the safety and efficacy of their experimental coronavirus vaccines has been established in Phase 3 clinical trials, an extraordinary effort to bolster public faith in a vaccine amid President Trump’s public rush to introduce a vaccine before Election Day.
'We believe this pledge will help ensure public confidence in the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which covid-19 vaccines are evaluated and may ultimately be approved,' the executives wrote in their joint statement." [snip]
The statement included a vow that the companies would 'only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA.'” (our emphasis)Phase 3 clinical studies involve thousands of volunteers and long periods of time to determine the efficacy of the vaccine on different populations, etc., and normally take from one to four years. However, with only eight weeks left before voters render judgement on Trump's deadly mishandling of the COVID-19 / Trump virus pandemic, one can be certain that he will apply maximum pressure not only to the drug companies, but also the beleaguered FDA to approve a vaccine for use. Time will tell if the vaccine manufacturers are impervious to that political pressure from a desperate and reckless Trump, once again putting his own interests above all else.
(image: If only.)
